Boston Has Worst Traffic In Nation, According To New Rankings

[Sun Belt]

Boston Has Worst Traffic In Nation, According To New Rankings
CBS Boston
2/12/2019

BOSTON (CBS) – If you sit in it each day, this may not seem like news to you – our rush hours are the worst. A newly released scorecard puts Boston in the worst spot for time wasted in traffic. The hub also topped the annual list last year.

The yearly rankings by INRIX found that Boston area drivers lost an average of 164 hours each year sitting in traffic. That’s almost seven full days.

How does that measure up to other major cities? In Washington D.C. drivers lose about 155 hours a year; 138 hours in Chicago and Seattle; New Yorkers waste 133 hours in traffic each year; and 128 hours in Los Angeles, which is famous for its traffic backups.
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/02/...r-traffic/amp/


INRIX: Congestion Costs Each American 97 hours, $1,348 A Year

KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb. 11, 2019 – INRIX, Inc., the world leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, today published the 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard that identified and ranked congestion and mobility trends in more than 200 cities, across 38 countries. Americans lost an average of 97 hours a year due to congestion, costing them nearly $87 billion in 2018, an average of $1,348 per driver.

In the U.S., the 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard analyzed congestion and the severity of it in the top 60 urban areas. Boston (164 hours lost due to congestion) and Washington D.C. (155 hours) ranked as the most congested two cities in the U.S., over 15 hours per year more than the next most congested cities, Chicago (138 hours) and Seattle (138 hours). While famous for its congestion, Los Angeles’ (ranked fifth in impact; 128 hours lost in 2018) constant gridlock does not have the severity as the other top-ranked cities due to its sprawling geography and massive road network.

Boston drivers lost up to $2,291 per year due to congestion, followed by Washington D.C. ($2,161), Seattle ($1,932), Chicago ($1,920) and New York City ($1,859). Wichita, Kan., had the lowest cost of congestion among the U.S. cities studied at $304 per driver.

New York City was also one of the country’s most congested metros, with the ‘last mile’ taking drivers seven minutes. In contrast, Los Angeles (four minutes) has employment across a wider geographic area, preventing severe downtown congestion experienced in more centralized cities.

http://inrix.com/press-releases/scorecard-2018-us/


1 Boston, MA 164 $2,291 $4.1B
2 Washington, DC 155 $2,161 $4.6B
3 Chicago, IL 138 $1,920 $6.2B
4 New York, NY 133 $1,859 $9.5B
5 Los Angeles, CA 128 $1,788 $9.3B
6 Seattle, WA 138 $1,932 $2.9B
7 Pittsburgh, PA 127 $1,776 $1.2B
8 San Francisco, CA 116 $1,624 $3.4B
9 Philadelphia, PA 112 $1,568 $3.3B
10 Portland, OR 116 $1,625 $1.4B

Boston was the only American city to reach top ten status in in the world.

1 Moscow Europe 210
2 Istanbul Europe 157
3 Bogota South America 272
4 Mexico City South America 218
5 São Paulo South America 154
6 London Europe 227
7 Rio de Janeiro South America 199
8 Boston, MA North America 164
9 Saint Petersburg Russia Europe 200
10 Rome Europe

[BillM]

Fortunately for Boston, driving could be considered optional for many.

[Steely Dan]

ouch, chicago at no. 3.

i'm so, SO glad i've arranged my life to be a bicycle commuter.

it's the double whammy of health benefits: twice daily cardio exercise from doing something that i have to do anyway AND i avoid all the stress and aggravation of dealing with chicago's shit-tacular traffic congestion on a daily basis.

i arrive at work with a smile on my face.

my driving co-workers arrive with a scowl as they complain about car accidents, road construction, malfunctioning stop lights, double parked delivery trucks, etc.




it's kinda funny though how the top 10 cities for the worst traffic congestion are probably my top 10 favorite US cities. coincidence?

[BillM]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

it's kinda funny though how the top 10 cities for the worst traffic congestion are probably my top 10 favorite US cities. coincidence?

I would say that in most of those cities, you don't need to be a participant in that congestion.

There could be cities that didn't quite make the list but still have no other valid transportation options.

[FtGreeneNY]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Boston Has Worst Traffic In Nation, According To New Rankings
CBS Boston
2/12/2019

BOSTON (CBS) – If you sit in it each day, this may not seem like news to you – our rush hours are the worst. A newly released scorecard puts Boston in the worst spot for time wasted in traffic. The hub also topped the annual list last year.

The yearly rankings by INRIX found that Boston area drivers lost an average of 164 hours each year sitting in traffic. That’s almost seven full days.

How does that measure up to other major cities? In Washington D.C. drivers lose about 155 hours a year; 138 hours in Chicago and Seattle; New Yorkers waste 133 hours in traffic each year; and 128 hours in Los Angeles, which is famous for its traffic backups.
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/02/...r-traffic/amp/


INRIX: Congestion Costs Each American 97 hours, $1,348 A Year

http://inrix.com/press-releases/scorecard-2018-us/


1 Boston, MA 164 $2,291 $4.1B
2 Washington, DC 155 $2,161 $4.6B
3 Chicago, IL 138 $1,920 $6.2B
4 New York, NY 133 $1,859 $9.5B
5 Los Angeles, CA 128 $1,788 $9.3B
6 Seattle, WA 138 $1,932 $2.9B
7 Pittsburgh, PA 127 $1,776 $1.2B
8 San Francisco, CA 116 $1,624 $3.4B
9 Philadelphia, PA 112 $1,568 $3.3B
10 Portland, OR 116 $1,625 $1.4B

Boston was the only American city to reach top ten status in in the world.

1 Moscow Europe 210
2 Istanbul Europe 157
3 Bogota South America 272
4 Mexico City South America 218
5 São Paulo South America 154
6 London Europe 227
7 Rio de Janeiro South America 199
8 Boston, MA North America 164
9 Saint Petersburg Russia Europe 200
10 Rome Europe

Mexico City is not in South America, and Istanbul is in Europe and Asia.