10 Tops for traffic

April 26, 2013

 Nobody wants to sit in traffic, and as much as riding has that certain something above sitting in a car, and a lot of times you can sneak through traffic enjoying everyone’s envy –let’s just say envy, traffic still bites. Of course the traffic you’re in day after day in the commute to the big city near you might border on the ridiculous, but we’ve assembled as list of the ten worst cities to get caught in during rush hour in the US.

Traffic data provider Inrix looked at a wide range of traffic information and crunched the numbers earlier this year to come up with its list of the nation's top 10 worst traffic cities, based on the number of hours drivers spend idling in their cars.

10) “My kind of town, Chicago is”, number 10 on our list, beating out a great southern city Atlanta, Georgia. From its famed elevated rail system to its buses and Metro commuter trains that serve the cities and counties surrounding downtown, the Windy City has the nation's second-largest public transportation system, according to the Chicago Regional Transit Authority. But with a metro area population of some 9.4 million people, still millions of Chicagoland commuters drive to work every day, spending an average of 36 hours every year idling in their cars. Chicago’s worst time for traffic: Thursdays between 5:00 and 5:45 p.m.

9) It's known as the "Walking City," thanks to walking trails like the Freedom Trail that take visitors past many of the places and buildings across the city that played historic roles in the American Revolution, like Faneuil Hall and the Paul Revere House. One city for everyone, drivers’ average of 35 wasted hours in traffic every year earns Boston the number 9 spot on America's worst-traffic cities. Beantown's worst hour for traffic usually falls on Thursdays, from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m.

8) Though many might look to its much larger neighbor to the north -- the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area -- as the Texas city that would have the state's worst traffic, the Lone Star State's capital city is number 8 on the nation's worst-traffic cities list, with an average of 30 hours wasted on its streets and highways each year. The day to avoid driving in the city nicknamed the "live music capital of the world," home to both "Austin City Limits" and the annual South by Southwest music festival? Thursdays, from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m.

7) Home to an estimated 3.4 million people who go to work every day at companies ranging from heavy industry giants like aircraft manufacturer Boeing to technology leaders like Microsoft and Amazon, the Seattle metro area also endures some of the country's worst traffic, with drivers spending an average of 33 hours every year there idling in their cars. Seattle's worst hour for traffic every week? Thursdays, between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.

6) Whether they're driving in from nearby Maryland cities like Bethesda, Silver Spring and Columbia or from cities in northern Virginia like Arlington and Alexandria, drivers in Washington, D.C., inevitably have to face the jammed lanes of Interstate 495, commonly known as "the beltway."On its highways, drivers spend an average of 45 hours -- nearly two full days -- idling in traffic every year. Its worst traffic hour? Thursdays, from 5:45 to 6:00 p.m.

5) The largest city in Connecticut, Bridgeport lies just over 60 miles outside New York City and is home to many who commute back and forth to the Big Apple every day. Drivers waste an average of 42 hours on Bridgeport's highways every year, and its worst traffic hour each week falls on Friday between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.

4) Only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in its city limits than #4 Houston. While that's great for jobs, it's the people who fill those jobs that are finding themselves in some pretty bad congestion. 

3) No list of the nation's worst-traffic cities is complete without New York City, it seems. With a population of some 8.2 million within the city and more than 18 million spread across the metro area surrounding Manhattan, it's no surprise that drivers there spend an average of 57 hours each year -- nearly two and a half days -- idling in their cars. When is the worst time to drive New York's city streets? Fridays between 5:30 and 5:45 in the afternoon.

2) The island of Oahu may be a tourist's paradise, with attractions like Waikiki Beach and Waimea Bayas well as historic sites that have played a pivotal role in U.S. history like Pearl Harbor. But for locals who live in Honolulu, traffic looms large as an everyday obstacle to seeing any of those places and getting to work -- they spend an average of 58 hours idling in their cars every year. If you're visiting, try to avoid the city's worst traffic hour: Tuesday between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m

1) With more than 3.7 million people within its city limits and some 13 million spread across the surrounding metro area, Los Angeles sees millions of cars jam onto its 181 miles of freeway every weekday. About 10 percent of these commuters use public transportation like buses and subways, while 80 percent drive to work in their own cars. The upshot? Angelenos spend an average of 56 hours every year idling in their cars, particularly during the city's worst hour every week: Thursdays from 5:45 to 6:00 p.m..

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