New Study Shows LA, San Francisco, Honolulu Most Congested Cities in U.S.

According to a report just released by GPS leader, TomTom — the sixth edition of its TomTom Traffic Index —  Los Angeles continues to be the most congested city in the U.S., with traffic at an all-time high since the study’s inception.

TomTom estimates that 8 work days (64 hours) are lost worldwide to traffic congestion. U.S. cities have a max. average loss (based on Los Angeles) of 92 hours, or 11.5 days.

The TomTom Traffic Index compares travel times during non-congested hours (free flow) with travel times in peak hours. Based on these comparisons, TomTom Traffic Index reports that the top ten most congested U.S. cities, ranked by overall Traffic Level, in Q2 2013 were:

1. Los Angeles: Traffic increased two percent to its highest levels seen in last six years
2. San Francisco: Moved up from third place in Q1
3. Honolulu: Moved down from second place in Q1
4. Seattle: Ranking remained the same.
5. San Jose: Ranking remained the same
6. Washington, DC: Ranking remained the same
7. New York: New to the Top 10 in 2013; up from #11
8. Portland: New to the Top 10 in 2013; up from #12
9. Boston: New to the Top 10 in 2013; up from #21.
10. Chicago

Other notable findings include:

• West coast cities dominate list with five rankings in the top 10 (not including Honolulu)
• San Francisco’s busiest day – Saturday, April 20 – coincides with the city’s “420” marijuana holiday and accompanying festival and concert in Golden Gate Park
• Phoenix is the least congested large metropolis
• Indianapolis has the least congestion of cities included in the study (800,000 people or higher)
• New Orleans falls from #7 to #16
• Tampa falls from #9 to #12

“Deep research into traffic is a natural byproduct of TomTom’s work, since we deliver products that help drivers avoid traffic and delays,” said TomTom’s Head of Global Traffic Research, Nick Cohn. “It will be interesting to see how cities and drivers react to our findings. In the meantime, our research helps keep a pulse on the shifts in traffic patterns, as we work to find new ways to tackle congestion.”

TomTom’s complete Traffic Index, including individual city reports, can be found at www.tomtom.com/trafficindex.

Tags: TomTom

Category: Featured, General Update