In these tough economic times, be thankful for tough economic times

The Sac Bee reports on a rare benefit in this down economy:

While Sacramento commuters spend on average 24 hours a year stuck in traffic, that’s better than in most urban areas, and it’s a smoother commute than drivers here have had since 1993, a new report shows…

Commute-period congestion peaked in Sacramento in 2005 and 2006 at 35 congested hours per year on average, then tailed off as the recession hit, according to a report published today by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University.

With the economy tanking, we were able to get rid of a lot of the trafficularsclerosis clogging up our arteries:

Furloughs, layoffs, lack of construction, and fewer delivery trucks on the road are key contributors to more free-flowing commutes, local officials said.

I don’t know about you, but I blame Obama.