I really like Virginia Department of Transportation’s spin on the fact that the Washington region has the worst traffic in the country:

“This is one of those odd times when bad news is good news,” said Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton. “The reason we have more congestion is that the Washington region has a very strong economy. I go to other parts of the state and they say they have no transportation problems.”

Though, perhaps, I’d spin it a bit differently. For example: This is one of those odd times when bad news reminds us that local and federal government departments of transportation have failed to create a convenient and easy to use public transit system that can accommodate the large number of people living and working in Washington. Or, for that matter, improvements to roads that would keep up with the growth of the region. Which is why, these days, car commuters sit idle for 74 hours per year while burning 37 gallons of fuel.