Some interesting research findings from Tom Tom & Tele Atlas… Speed Profiles aggregates the actual speeds that millions of anonymous, GPS-enabled drivers have traveled over the last two years. From the report… The results of the continental U.S. states reveal some interesting surprises:
* Seattle, Washington is the city with the worst traffic in the United States, with an average of 43% of its roads showing heavy delays. Rounding out the top five cities after Seattle are Los Angeles (38%), Chicago (37%), San Francisco (35%) and New York (31%).
* The “Bay Area” of California has the most cities in the top 30, with San Francisco, San Jose (29%) and Oakland (28%).
* The most congested “corridor” is between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. About 36% of that area’s roads, largely in Montgomery County, are congested.
* While New York has many pockets of heavy congestion, the area also contains many major arteries for alternative routes. In fact, cities with fewer options for alternative roads were higher on the list.
* The least congested of the top 30? Minneapolis, Minnesota. Only 17% of the roads in that city are congested.
The top 25 congested areas in the US:
Rank CITY/REGION % of congested roadways
1 Seattle, WA 43%
2 Los Angeles, CA 38%
3 Chicago, IL 37%
4 Montgomery County, MD 37%
5 San Francisco, CA 35%
6 New York, NY 31%
7 Washington, DC 30%
8 San Jose, CA 29%
9 Alexandria, VA 28%
10 Oakland, CA (Alameda County) 28%
11 Atlanta, GA (Cobb County) 27%
12 Boston, MA 27%
13 Fairfax County, VA 26%
14 Philadelphia, PA 25%
15 Austin, TX 25%
16 Phoenix, AZ 25%
17 Long Island, NY (Nassau County) 24%
18 San Juan, Puerto Rico 24%
19 Portland, OR 23%
20 Houston, TX 23%
21 Contra Costa County, CA 23%
22 Arlington, VA 23%
23 Orange County, CA 20%
24 New Orleans, LA 20%
25 Norfolk County, MA 20%
