The Most Congested Cities In North America
"The shortest distance between two points is under construction." -Noelie Altito
While an amusing quote, it comes with a sting of truth for those that live in urban areas, where construction, accidents and the sheer amount of people on the road trying to get to different places contribute to maddening congestion.
It's a way of life in the city, but some of these places are even worse than others.
GPS navigation manufacturer TomTom recently released its findings about the most congested cities in North America by compiling its own real-time traffic data. The company determined the top 10 worst cities for traffic congestion by comparing travel times between peak traffic hours and non-congested (free-flow) hours. The cities with the biggest difference between the two -- expressed as a percentage increase in travel time -- took on the not-so-illustrious distinction.
Click through to see the most congested cities in North America. To see more on how TomTom ranked the cities and for more information on each, such as the worst days of the week and times of day to be on the road, head over to the TomTom website.
We're sorry if you're a driver in one of these places.
Image Credit: Oran Viriyincy, Flickr
10. Montreal, QC
Increase in travel time (free-flow to peak hours): 25%
Delay per year with a 30 minute commute: 86 hours
Delay per hour driven in peak period: 36 minutes
Montreal has gotten better since TomTom's last congestion study, but the Canadian city is still especially bad during evening rush hour. The delay per hour during peak traffic time is 36 minutes.
Image Credit: Goodnight London, Flickr
8. Washington, DC (25%)
Increase in travel time (free-flow to peak hours): 25%
Delay per year with a 30 minute commute: 78 hours
Delay per hour driven in peak period: 31 minutes
Gridlock on Washington's roads mirrors the gridlock of the federal government. Traffic during peak hours is really bad on non-highways, resulting in drivers wasting about 78 hours per year sitting in traffic.
Image Credit: cbowns, Flickr
6. Toronto, ON (25%)
Increase in travel time (free-flow to peak hours): 25%
Delay per year with a 30 minute commute: 81 hours
Delay per hour driven in peak period: 31 minutes
Canada's biggest city also sees some of its worst traffic congestion. Thursday mornings and Wednesday evenings are especially bad here, both on highways and non-highways.
Image Credit: elPadawan, Flickr
4. San Francisco, CA (29%)
Increase in travel time (free-flow to peak hours): 25%
Delay per year with a 30 minute commute: 84 hours
Delay per hour driven in peak period: 35 minutes
Between San Jose and San Francisco, the Bay Area is simply brutal for drivers. Thursdays are especially bad in SF and drivers can expect a delay of 35 minutes per hour behind the wheel at peak hours.
Image Credit: moonlightbulb, Flickr
2. Vancouver, BC (32%)
Increase in travel time (free-flow to peak hours): 25%
Delay per year with a 30 minute commute: 84 hours
Delay per hour driven in peak period: 35 minutes
Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to live. That's remarkable considering the traffic. Non-highways are awful during peak hours, especially during the middle of the week.
Image Credit: Tim in Sydney, Flickr