You may think that cities in China and Japan would have the world’s highest traffic congestion. Well, you may be surprised to find out that these metropolises are no match to some cities in Europe, South America, and right here in the United States.
According to a study by traffic management company INREX, London and Chicago are at the top, with New York City listed as number eight.
These cities consist of some of the most congested traffic jams across the globe, with many individuals viewing the time spent in traffic as a waste of time and this challenging commute strengthens the reason why many cite an opposition to physically traveling to their workplace, especially in this post Covid era.
But It’s Not All That Bad!
Experts argue that traffic congestion can be indicative of a robust economy, as it suggests increased spending. In January, the geolocation technology company TomTom unveiled its annual Traffic Index for 2023, ranking U.S. cities based on time, cost, and Co2 emissions per mile driven. The assessment simulated the duration of a six-mile trip within a city for typical electric and diesel cars.
California stands out as the only state with two cities in the top 10: San Francisco and Los Angeles. Despite its notorious traffic, Los Angeles secured the No. 9 spot, while San Francisco landed in the top three.
Not surprisingly, the TomTom report cites New York City as the most congested city in the U.S. On average, commuters spent 24 minutes and 50 seconds covering about six miles in 2023, marking a 20-second increase from 2022. Commuters who travel by car in the city experience the lengthiest delays during rush-hour traffic jams, averaging one hour for a typical six-minute trip.
Traffic Congestion By the Numbers
Below is the list of the top 10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic:
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Chicago
- Baltimore
- Seattle
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Miami
Washington, D.C., claimed the second spot on the list, with an average travel time of 21 minutes and 20 seconds for a six-mile drive. Commuters in the U.S. capital lost 86 hours to rush-hour traffic in 2023, making Washington, D.C. the third most congested city in a separate TomTom ranking, with an average loss of 5 minutes and 37 seconds due to traffic for a six-mile trip.
A View of Now and the Future
Traveling by car to work can be no easy task if you live in a big city and even if you don’t, you can still find yourself in ‘parking lot’ situations in the suburbs and even in some rural areas. If you have ever driven on the Long Island Expressway or the Southern State Parkway during rush hour, you know about this experience.
Having an electric vehicle may reduce some of the stress knowing that all this stop and go traffic is not wasting your money on gas, but your time spent in traffic congestion is no different than that in conventional gas vehicles.
But more than anyone, those who live in the cities know too well that traffic jams are a fact of life, although things may change for the better in the future as artificial intelligence plays a role in helping to reduce this congestion. With that said, things can get more complicated as well, such as the discussion of congestion pricing in Manhattan. One can only wonder how this is going to affect traffic when this becomes a reality!