Study: Americans spending more time doing “life in the slow lane”

Traffic jams have grown exponentially in some U.S. cities and their times have flattened out making the entire day a trouble spot for drivers. Image (c) ConsumerAffairs

Some are losing as much as $2,000 stuck in traffic

Going somewhere today? Pack some patience – and maybe a snack. A new report says that on top of where the worst drivers and worst roads are, we're spending way more time stuck in traffic jams than we used to. And since time is money, some Americans are close to $2,000 a year being stuck on the highway.

The most recent INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, with updated data from the first quarter of 2024, provides a comprehensive look at traffic trends in the U.S. and around the world. For American drivers, several findings highlight the growing challenges of road travel.

In 2023, traffic delays increased in 78% of the 947 urban areas analyzed, with 54% of these areas experiencing more traffic than in pre-pandemic 2019. U.S. drivers, on average, lost 42 hours to traffic jams, costing them about $733 in lost time and productivity. The total economic impact of traffic congestion across the country amounted to over $70 billion.

Some cities are worse than others. New York City is the real trouble spot in the study. Drivers there sit idle 101 hours – 4 days – a year, wasting $1,762 of valuable time. Chicago, Boston, and LA are bad, too. Their “delay per driver” is up double digits since 2022. 

The Amazon Effect and bottlenecks in the sunshine states

Seattle’s also got a problem – the “Amazon Effect.” When Amazon’s first “Return to Office (RTO)” was instituted in April 2023, it led to 35% slower traffic on some routes.

After Amazon announced that it’s returning to a full, five-days-in-office work week starting in 2025, business owners and business leaders in Seattle called it a “home run” because it could revitalize foot traffic, nightlife, and the arts. However, if three days back led to 35% slower traffic, two more days of commutes could make things much worse.

And there's some pretty clogged-up corridors, too.

  • One of the most notorious traffic bottlenecks in the country include the I-4 Westbound near Orlando, where drivers lost 124 hours in 2023.
  • In Los Angeles, the I-5 Southbound corridor between I-10 and I-605 caused 122 hours of delays for daily commuters.
  • The I-95 corridor featured prominently in the list of most congested routes, with six of the top 25 busiest highways located along this key East Coast artery that goes from Miami to Portland ME.

“Traffic congestion is both a bane and a barometer of economic health; it symbolizes bustling activity yet simultaneously hampers it,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Reflecting on 2023 and early 2024, the surge in traffic congestion in urban areas indicated a revival of economic hubbub post-COVID, but it also led to billions of dollars in lost time for drivers.” 

When INRIX researchers broke everything down, here’s how the 25 snail’s pace metro areas came out:

US RANK

METRO AREA

DELAY IN HRS

COST PER DRIVER

1

New York City NY

101

$1,762

2

Chicago IL

96

$1,672

3

Los Angeles CA

89

$1,545

4

Boston MA

88

$1,543

5

Miami FL

70

$1,219

6

Philadelphia PA

69

$1,209

7

Washington DC

63

$1,095

8

Houston TX

62

$1,082

9

Atlanta GA

61

$1,066

10

Seattle WA

58

$1,010

11

San Juan PR

57

$994

12

Nashville TN

56

$985

13

San Francisco CA

45

$787

14

Baltimore MD

44

$762

15

Pittsburgh PA

43

$749

16

Charlotte NC

41

$711

17

Dallas TX

38

$658

18

Honolulu HI

42

$739

19

Portland OR

39

$679

20

Stamford CT

41

$706

21

Austin TX

38

$663

22

Denver CO

37

$640

23

King of Prussia PA

53

$918

24

New Orleans LA

37

$641

25

San Antonio TX

35

$607

Why is traffic so bad? 

One reason things have shifted into low gear is because a significant shift in travel patterns has emerged. Midday traffic now rivals or even exceeds traditional morning and evening rush hours in some areas.

Some aspects of the pandemic are sticking around, Pishue said, “Although congestion is returning to pre-COVID levels, we’re seeing interesting changes in congestion patterns due to the lingering effects of the pandemic. The continuation of hybrid and remote work is creating new travel peaks from what we’ve seen previously.”

Since the pandemic, the study’s researchers say that U.S. roads have seen a 23% increase in midday traffic, while morning commutes have dropped by 12% compared to 2019. This change has led to flatter peak periods, with less concentrated traffic jams in the mornings but extended delays throughout the day. 

Public transport isn't doing great either. Fewer people are taking buses and trains, which means more cars on the road.

What’s the solution?

Is there an answer to this? Maybe several. For one, cycling is on the rise and some cities are trying their hardest to make it easier for people to bike to work.

Congestion pricing like New York City has been exploring could work, too. The city hasn’t implemented anything, yet – and there are legal battles to contend with – but the congestion pricing plan aims to charge most vehicles a toll for entering Manhattan below 60th Street during peak periods as a way to reduce car traffic in Midtown and generate funds for public transit improvements. City planners think that this approach could make the city more accessible for buses, bicycles, and pedestrians

The answer to this question could get some help from overseas, too. Cities such as Dublin – the 16th most traffic-congested city – are planning to reduce overall traffic by 40% by 2028 through measures like dedicated bus lanes and pedestrian-only streets, initiatives designed to encourage the use of public transport and non-motorized modes of travel. 

Copenhagen is taking a different route. The Danish capital is investing in renewable energy and climate-resilient infrastructure to promote sustainable transportation. This includes making biking a preferred mode of transport, which its city planners believe helps reduce reliance on cars and alleviate congestion.

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