Chicago’s Traffic Nightmare: Second Worst Congestion in the World, Study Finds

Inrix’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard has revealed that Chicago holds the crown for the most congested city in America. While other major cities across the world made their way onto Inrix’s top 10 list, it seems like this Midwestern metropolis is the leading place in America to lose some time in traffic.

Here’s the world’s top ten list of cities with the most hours lost due to traffic congestion, according to the study.

1. London – 156 hours lost due to congestion
2. Chicago – 155 hours
3. Paris – 138 hours
4. Boston – 134 hours
5. Bogota – 122 hours
6. Palermo – 121 hours
7. Toronto – 118 hours
8. New York City – 117 hours
9. Monterrey – 116 hours
10. Philadelphia – 114 hours

Despite traffic remaining below pre-COVID levels in the majority of U.S cities, the recent Intrix report reveals that overall road congestion has increased compared to 2021. The top 10 most congested American cities are now seeing varying degrees of heavier vehicle movement as people venture out more often than last year during pandemic times.

1.Chicago – 7% change compared to 2019
2. Boston – minus 10%
3. New York City – minus 16%
4. Philadelphia – minus 20%
5. Miami – 30%
6. Los Angeles – minus 8%
7. San Francisco – 0%
8. Washington D.C. – minus 33%
9. Houston – minus 9%
10. Atlanta – minus 10%

Chicago drivers are feeling the cost of traffic delays, with a staggering $2,618 per driver and costing the city over $9 billion in 2022. Commuters travelling downtown saw average speeds plummet to just 11 mph – an alarming 27% decrease from last year.

The report has uncovered an interesting trend in traffic behavior across the U.S. amid COVID-19 recovery efforts: it’s mostly smaller cities that have ‘bounced back’ to their previous levels of activity, not metropolitan areas. Of 295 urban zones analyzed by researchers, only 12 of the top 50 ranked locations were found to be above their 2019 figures – suggesting America’s more rural regions are rebounding to normal traffic levels faster than bustling metropolises.

Up 15 hours from last year, the average American motorist lost 51 hours in congestions, costing the driver $869 in lost time. This cost does not account for fuel cost increases which Intrix analyzed and concluded that the average American driver would have paid $134 more in 2022 than in 2021.

The report also ranks the worst traffic corridors in the U.S., and Interstate 95 southbound in Stamford, Connecticut leads that list.

1.Stamford, Conn. – Interstate 95 southbound
2. Los Angeles – Interstate 5 southbound
3. Stamford, Conn. – Interstate 95 northbound
4. Boston – Interstate 93 southbound
5. New York City – Interstate 278 westbound
6. Concord, Calif. – state Route 4 eastbound
7. Stamford, Conn. – state Route 15 northbound
8. Stamford, Conn. – Merritt Parkway southbound
9. Chicago – Interstate 55 southbound
10. Orlando – Interstate 4 eastbound

Drivers across the country felt the strain of traffic congestion during 2022, with 4.8 billion hours lost – a break from 2019’s 6-billion-hour peak yet still an increase from 2021’s total by over half a billion. The cost to drivers and society rose even further; despite inflation for some goods going up 17%, escalating congestion costs ended at $81 billion – 53% higher than 2021 but down compared to 2019’s high of $88 billion.

Source: LandLine