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by: KIAH, WKRN web employee, Nexstar media cable
Posted: 07/05/2021 / 6:43 PM CDT
Updated: 07/05/2021 / 6:43 p.m. CDT
(Image credit: Getty Images)
HOUSTON (KIAH / WKRN) – Studies of cities with the worst traffic in 2020 have been published and the pandemic resulted in some big changes in the data.
You can expect Los Angeles to claim the title as the LA-Long Beach-Anaheim area held it for nearly 30 years – since 1982 – the worst traffic in 2020.
The New York-Newark region topped the list, with the average driver wasting 56 hours in traffic over the past year. The ranking is based on the total number of hours of delay by drivers.
Boston finished second with 50 hours, followed by Houston with 49 hours. LA and San Francisco were fourth with 46 hours each.
In cities with fewer than 3 million residents, Austin came first, 41 hours late. For 1 million or less, Bridgeport, Connecticut topped the 40-hour list.
According to the report, traffic congestion decreased dramatically during the height of the pandemic, dropping levels to 40-year lows. For example, it was the first time since 1991 that Nashville drivers were only 28 hours late in traffic. In 2019, Nashville drivers wasted almost double that with 66 hours in traffic.
“Flexible working hours and reliable internet connections enable employees to choose working hours that are conducive to family needs and the demands of their workplace,” said David Wardrobe, co-author of the report. “And it also reduces the need for street space, which is good for all of us.”
From around September 2020, the level of travel has built up again.
In addition, the causes of traffic congestion have not changed, according to the report’s authors.
“The underlying elements of traffic problems – too many car trips, too much road works at rush hour, accidents, blocked vehicles and weather problems – have not diminished,” said Tim Lomax, one of the report’s authors. “The difference is that these elements have been dwarfed by the decline in traffic.”
The study also found that 2021 will see the fastest increase in traffic since 1982, the first year the report collected traffic statistics.
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