U.S. Cities With The Worst Traffic Jams
It should come as no surprise to commuters that traffic on our nation’s highways is worse than its ever been, due in part to the big boost in cars and trucks on the road concurrent with the economy’s rising fortunes. Still, it’s shocking to see the actual impact – both personal and financial – of this onerous gridlock.
According to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard just released by traffic information and driver services provider INRIX and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), drivers wasted nearly 7 billion extra hours – that’s 42 hours per rush-hour commuter – and burned over 3 billion gallons of fuel while sitting in traffic last year.
For many motorists, that amounts to a week’s worth of vacation time wasted getting no place fast. Add up the numbers and the total value of time and fuel wasted amounts to an annual $160 billion, or a staggering $960 per commuter.
By comparison, INRIX reports that back in 1982, when there were fewer vehicles sharing the road, the average traffic delay per consumer was just 18 hours per year with 0.5 billion gallons of fuel burned at a total cost of $42 billion. Though gridlock affected only one out of every in nine commutes in 1982, it caused delays in an average of around 25 percent of automotive excursions during 2014.
What’s more, the study found that traffic is getting so brutal in big cities that drivers find they have to allow more than twice as much travel time as they would require during times of light traffic (whenever those might occur) just to account for the unforeseen effects of bad weather, collisions, and construction zones. Drivers traversing America’s most jam-packed roads typically waste 84 hours – that’s 3.5 days a year – sitting in traffic, which is twice the national average. According to INRIX data, Washington, D.C. is the nation’s most traffic-clogged city, where commuters suffered an average of 82 hours of highway delay last year, with Los Angeles coming in a close second at 80 hours. We’re featuring INRIX’s list of the 10 most congested U.S. cities in the accompanying slide show.
And the report’s findings indicate that the nation’s clogged arteries are spreading beyond the most populated areas. Rush-hour travel times have gotten four times worse since 1982 in cities having populations with fewer than 500,000 people. And INRIX predicts commuters will be spending more time behind the wheel in the years ahead. Assuming the nation’s economic fortunes remain strong, by 2020, the annual rush-hour delay per U.S. motorist will swell to 47 hours, with a shared nationwide delay of 8.3 billion hours at a cost of $192 billion.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for the nation to simply build its way out of its traffic woes. “Our growing traffic problem is too massive for any one entity to handle – state and local agencies can’t do it alone,” says Tim Lomax, a report co-author and Regents Fellow at TTI. “Businesses can give their employees more flexibility in where, when and how they work, individual workers can adjust their commuting patterns, and we can have better thinking when it comes to long-term land use planning.”
“This problem calls for a classic ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach.”
The fine print: Findings from the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard are based on traffic speed data collected by INRIX on 1.3 million miles of urban streets and highways, along with highway performance data provided by the Federal Highway Administration.
1. Washington, D.C.
According to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard compiled by traffic information and driver services provider INRIX and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, motorists in our nation’s capitol lead the U.S. in traffic congestion, with an annual average of 82 hours of delay wasted per commuter last year.
2. Los Angeles
Those living in or near the City of Angels spent a devilish average of 80 hours sitting in traffic last year.
3. San Francisco
Residents leave both their hearts and their patience in San Francisco, where motorists spent an average 78 hours sitting in traffic during 2014.
4. New York
The Big Apple is rotten to the core when it comes to gridlock,with New Yorkers spending 74 hours of their lives in traffic jams last year.
5. San Jose
To paraphrase the old song, commuters know the way to SanJose, it just takes a long time to get there, with area residents sitting an average of 67 hours on the highways.
6. Boston
Those traveling through the tri-state area surrounding Boston wasted an average 64 hours not getting anywhere quickly last year.
7. Seattle
Sitting atop the landmark Space Needle during rush hour, you’ll see myriad commuters longing for the proverbial trip from Point A to Point B to take less time, having wasted an average 63 hours each on the road during 2014.
8. Chicago
Chicago is indeed “that toddlin’ town,” at least when it comes to rush-hour traffic, which crawls along at an infuriating pace – those passing through the City of Big Shoulders shouldered an average 61 hours behind the wheel last year.
9. Houston
Houston we have a problem…with your traffic, which exacted an average 61 hours from the lives of its commuters last year.
10. Riverside-San Bernadino, Calif.
The fourth California metro area among the top 10 worst traffic-jammed cities, Riverside residents spent an average 59 hours commuting during 2014.
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