Well, I've only lived here for a couple years, so I don't know if that qualifies as local; I grew up in Savannah. Sorry if you're put off by the emoticon. I think the traffic in town is a nothing compared to when I lived in Miami, Boston, or Providence. I used to allow 1.5 hours for a 14 mile commute when in south Florida.
That's not to say I mean to trivialize the congestion we all see at various times in different parts of town, but I've worked and lived near colleges & universities for a couple decades now. There's absolutely nothing extreme or unusual about the traffic here compared with anywhere else I've been. Actually, I will trivialize it: it's so mild here as to be darn near undetectable compared to what I've experienced. I'm incredibly grateful for how insigificant the traffic is here.
As with any other place I've been, growth and development precedes and outstrips the placement of adequate infrastructure. It's just a very mild degree of it here. I imagine it will get worse before it gets better.