Everyone who lives in a big city thinks that they have to deal with the worst traffic ever.
New Yorkers will tell you that they have uniquely terrible congestion. Residents of Los Angeles will tell you the same, if they can manage to choke out anything intelligible through the smog. Growing tech hubs like San Francisco and Seattle have also made claims to the Worst Traffic in America title.
Which city truly has the worst traffic in the country? Let’s settle this once and for all…
Most Time Spent Stuck In Traffic
A 2016 study commissioned by USA Today found that commuters in the following five cities spent the most time stuck in traffic (each figure represents the amount of time the average driver spent waiting in traffic over the course of a year):
5. Miami: 64.8 hours
4. Atlanta: 70.8 hours
3. San Francisco: 82.6 hours
2. New York: 89.4 hours
1. Los Angeles: 104.1 hours
Want To See For Yourself How Route4Me Can Boost Your Profits?
Most Congested Trucking Bottlenecks
According to a 2017 report published by the American Transportation Research Institute, these are the most congested trucking bottlenecks in the country:
10. Seattle: I-5 at I-90
9. Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (N)
8. Houston: I-45 at US 59
7. Auburn, WA: SR 18 at SR 167
6. Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
5. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
4. Louisville: I-65 at I-64/I-71
3. Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
2. Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4
1. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (N)
The Verdict
Atlanta makes a surprisingly strong case for Worst Traffic in America, with the 4th-highest stuck-in-traffic figure and two of the ten most congested trucking bottlenecks. Somehow, much bigger cities like Chicago and Philadelphia are easier to drive in.
But Los Angeles is the clear winner here. Drivers in LA spend more time stuck in traffic than drivers in any other city, and they have one of the top ten most congested trucking bottlenecks, too.
It’s official: the City of Angels is the last place where you want to drive in America.
Want To See For Yourself How Route4Me Can Boost Your Profits?
