A list that Austin isn’t on

I have posted many brags over the past year or so — Austin on a wide variety of Top 10 lists — quality of life, local culture, robust economy, strong real estate market, first to enter the recovery from the current recession, etc.  I also posted recently about a dubious distinction — our fine city as a top funder of lobbyists!!??

Now, I am proud to post this article in which Austin does not appear:

Hate your commute? Then pity workers in Beijing, Mexico City

This is not to say that we don’t have traffic issues in Austin.  We certainly do, and it is a common topic of conversation and political debate.  Having spent many years travelling frequently, though, I keep our problems in perspective.  I wrote about this earlier this year:

We’re famous … for traffic?

In my business I am usually able to manage my drive-time to either avoid rush hours or to at least be going where everybody else isn’t.  When I can’t, though, spending an extra 15 or 20 minutes in traffic is nothing like what commuters routinely experience in many other large U.S. cities, and it doesn’t compare to the worst international cities ranked today by Reuters.

Stuck in Austin traffic?  Cheer up!