Study finds worst cities in the world for traffic

U.S. drivers are spending significantly more time stuck in traffic than during the height of the pandemic.

A new study by INRIX, a data and analytics firm specializing in transportation, published the results of its Global Traffic Scorecard on Tuesday.

Drivers in the U.S. “lost” an average of 51 hours sitting in traffic in 2022, which is a 15-hour increase over 2021.

Commuters in Chicago lost 155 hours to traffic congestion in 2022, making it the worst city for delays in the U.S. and the second worst in the world after London, where drivers lost an average of 156 hours.

Paris ranked third, with commuters losing an average of 138 hours, followed by Boston, where drivers faced 134 hours of delays, and New York, where commuters lost an average of 117 hours.

The firm also found:

Many employees have continued to work remotely throughout 2021, leading to high rates of telecommuting and fewer trips to downtowns.

Throughout the pandemic, San Francisco (-49%), Detroit (-41%), and Washington, D.C. (-38%) have continued to see significant reductions downtown trips, yet San Antonio (-5%), Tampa (-6%) and Phoenix (-7%) inched closer to pre-COVID levels. Nationwide, trips to downtowns decreased -22% versus pre-COVID levels.

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