Palmtop Software was founded in Amsterdam in 1991 with the goal of making digital maps and navigation easily accessible. In 2003 they changed their name to TomTom, and have stuck with it ever since. The company told The Guardian in 2011 that they had wanted to rebrand as “a character, a friend, a local that will help you find your way.” The name Tom won out, but couldn’t be trademarked, so they just doubled it. I feel like there’s a golden life lesson somewhere in this anecdote, but I’m struggling to articulate anything more than the fortune cookie-sounding “double your name and you will succeed.” In any event, TomTom has released their 2023 Traffic Index, a comprehensive accounting of city traffic based on varying factors. Their analysis yielded a list of the top 10 US cities with the worst traffic, and the Big Apple took the cake:
Most agree that sitting in traffic is a massive waste of time, and often cite a frustrating commute to and from work as reason to resist returning to the office. But experts say that congestion is a sign of a good economy because it shows people are going out and likely spending money.
In January, geolocation technology specialist TomTom released its annual Traffic Index for 2023.
The ranking includes the U.S. cities with the worst traffic, and was calculated by assessing the time, cost, and CO2 emission per mile driven and simulating how long it takes to complete a six-mile trip within a city for typical E.V., petrol and diesel cars.
California is the only state that had two cities rank in the top 10: San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The latter is notorious for its bad traffic but still came in way down at the No. 9 spot, while the Bay Area city landed in the top three.
New York City is No. 1 on the list of cities with the worst traffic in America. The TomTom report found that, on average, commuters in the heart of the Big Apple spent 24 minutes and 50 seconds driving about six miles in 2023, a 20-second increase over 2022.
The city also ranked as the most congested in the U.S. in a separate TomTom ranking. On average, drivers lost 8 minutes and 2 seconds for a six-mile trip due to traffic. Commuters in New York also lose the most time in rush-hour traffic jams, with an average of one hour to make a typical six-minute trip.
Top 10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic:
1. New York City
2. Washington, D.C.
3. San Francisco
4. Boston
5. Chicago
6. Baltimore
7. Seattle
8. Philadelphia
9. Los Angeles
10. Miami
TomTom’s results seem pretty straight forward, except for that claim that congestion = people spending money. That one is a stretch. But as for the top 10, none of those cities were surprising. And I must say, I’m kvelling over the city of my birth/childhood (San Francisco) and the city of my adulthood (New York) both making the top three. Just to support these results, I can report that I did not learn how to drive until I was 25. No thank you. I was the rare teen who had no interest in getting behind the wheel (helped by the fact that I could walk to my high school), and New York’s bus and subway systems are extensive and can get you anywhere. When they’re working, that is. My absolute favorite alert on the MTA app is when they say a line is experiencing delays because “we’re running as much service as we can with the train crews we have available.” I wonder if the MTA enjoys the irony of throwing their own employees under the proverbial bus.
Photos credit: Alex Azabache, Craig Adderley, Ketut Subiyanto and Noriely Fernandez on Pexels, Joshua Wordel and Maria Oswalt on Unsplash
As a native Baltimorean, I’m surprised but not surprised to see Baltimore at #6. We have virtually no public transportation besides a metro line that is almost worthless because of its schedule, same for a light rail, and a fleet of buses that just slow down traffic even more. So pretty much everyone has a car. If you’re in the suburbs and you want to go to the city, you drive. If you’re in the city and you want to go from the west side to the east side, you drive.
With the increase in telework traffic within the downtown area isn’t so bad anymore (I remember when it used to take forever to get out at the end of the day, because everyone is trying to get to one of two arterial highways), but in the farther out areas (still in the city) it can be bad.
And that’s without even getting into 95 or the Beltway, which are just HORRENDOUS. Every time I have to take 95N for sports I just dread it, even if its 8 or 9 am on a Saturday.
I was surprised to see Baltimore so high up on the list. I’ve lived in both NYC and DC, and Baltimore was where I was finally forced to learn how to drive. Driving in Baltimore though, seemed relatively serene— because my personal baselines are so off the chain.
DC might hit the top of the list soon if the funding crisis with Metro can’t be resolved. Even with so many people doing telework, if multiple bus lines get eliminated, and the Metro trains close at 10 pm, that will create an almost unfathomable crisis for those of us who don’t drive — and exponentially worse traffic for those who do.
I HATE driving in DC so I’m not surprised its up there. One thing I want to know – are they talking the city proper, or the outlying highways etc as well? I think anything from basically Silver Spring to almost Fredericksburg is just a nightmare, even at 4 or 5 am when we drive in going south for vacations, lol. My husband doesn’t mind city driving so he doesn’t mind DC itself but the highways are horrible.
And likewise the Baltimore highways are just a nightmare. I honestly think part of the issue is teleworking – so on weekends and such, you have a lot of people driving on the beltway who dont drive it regularly anymore, so they’re cutting over lanes at the last minute or whatever. Plus cell phones. I dont think Baltimore city itself is bad at all, the somewhat grid system helps a great deal as does the fact that its a smaller city.
But I haaaaaaaaate the beltway. I get anxiety everytime I have to drive on it.
anyway reliable, useful public transportation solves so many of these issues, and it seems cities are backing away from that rather than adding MORE public transportation.
There was an article in the washington post a few months ago or so that basically said that traffic in the dc area is worse than before covid even though so many people are still working from home. They said that people that have gone back into offices aren’t taking the metro, and the few times I’ve gone downtown, I can see that. Totally empty.
There was also something about how more people are home so they are driving to shop or whatever, and then more people are doing stuff on the weekends. That part didn’t really make sense, but anecdotally, the “worse traffic now than before around dc” thing rings true
695 (Baltimore) has way worse congestion than 495 (DC).
We lived in Baltimore city and the burbs for over 10 years. Just hearing the words “beltway” whether it’s Bmore or DC’s-reflexively make me shudder even though we haven’t lived there in many years.
That’s why I laughed at the Trucker Convoy trying to jam up the DC Beltway … You don’t defeat the Beltway, the Beltway defeats YOU.
The worst thing about DC is the VA and MD drivers who refuse to (MD) or simply cannot (VA) ride the metro. Plus all the confused tourists. There are also so horrendously timed lights scattered around the city that create nightmare intersections (think red light on short block not turning green).
During Covid and ~50% less drivers, my neighborhood had the same accidents on exits ramps bc people were driving like absolute Ass-hats.
I have driven a lot in DC, Chicago and Florida between Tampa and Orlando recently and I will gladly drive in the DC and Chicago traffic anyday over having to take I-4 from Tampa to Orlando.
Shocked not to see Houston on that list. I refuse to drive in Houston. The roads are constantly under construction with poor signage, no advanced notice of lane closures or exits, and the rudest drivers I’ve ever encountered anywhere. They totally ignore turn signals and will NOT let you in under any circumstances. They will actually speed up to cut you off. I’ve driven in Boston and it was a piece of cake compared to Houston.
Dallas is nearly as bad, but construction signage is generally good and people are generally considerate.
Did you drive in Boston once 10 years ago lol? I’m kidding but honestly, it’s been a nightmare driving around Boston for the 27 years I’ve lived here but it has gotten exponentially worse since they started with the Sumner Tunnel closure. You really don’t know what bad traffic is until it takes you 1.5 hours to go 6 miles.
I have heard that Boston drivers are legendarily bad and rude, even worse than NYers (my home city) – hard to imagine!
As someone who has driven a fair amount in NYC, my assessment is that drivers are more rude in Boston (hence the “masshole” moniker) but less horn-happy than NYers.
@Kitten, LOL, it was more like 20 years ago (so I probably don’t know what I am taking about). I was on a business trip and had to drive between Boston and Canton (stayed in Canton for a week). It was an eye-opening experience believe me, but my years of driving in Dallas stood me in good stead. I had never experienced a Round-About (or whatever they are called) before. I was most amazed by how both the left and right shoulders of the freeway were used as driving lanes during rush hour. I wondered where people went if they had a breakdown or flat. But at least people would let you change lanes if you used a turn signal.
I’m surprised that Boston came in at #4. I thought we were #2 last year – what happened? Not just the Sumner Tunnel, but also all the bike lanes. It’s a nice idea, but Boston streets are already narrow. It’s really faster to walk from one end of the city to the other.
As someone who lives in New York (right by the Holland Tunnel) I feel the honkers are NJ drivers. I feel LA should be top of this list as every time I visit my mother who moved out there 35 years ago, the traffic always convinces me not to move out there. In NYC it’s getting to an airport that gives me anxiety no matter how early I leave. Luckily I do mass transit most of the time otherwise I would have no hair.
Lol born and raised in Houston and I honestly never thought about it until I read your comment, but yeah, you do not put on a turn signal here if you want to switch lanes. You just switch lanes. Once you give someone the heads up that you’re trying to get over, they’ll block you. Is it not like this everywhere?!
We usually rank pretty high on rudest drivers and road rage lists. I blame it on the swamp heat.
Lifelong New Yorker who can count on her hands the number of days a year she’s in a car – NYC is set to become the first city in the US to introduce congestion pricing later this year and I really hope it will both reduce traffic and provide much needed funding for the MTA.
– Drove in Houston once or twice, agree it’s awful.
– lived in Chicago suburbs for several years and have family there. Where ever they are putting the money for tolls, it’s not in the roads.
-The beltway between Northern Virginia and Baltimore is the worst.
-But DC? That’s weird. Lived in DC suburbs (east of DC) for 10+ and yes, the traffic is bad, but it keeps moving, because they put money into the roads. They are well designed, maintained, and updated. Lots of tax, but at least we know it’s not lining someone’s pocket.
– The roads in Texas, every town has a different highway design. You have to drive it to understand, but be alert.
I’ve worked in Texas for months at a time a couple of times. Houston scared me silly! I also remember driving on an 80mp highway (could have been 70mph, I no longer remember), but people lived along that highway & the school buses would stop on that road, put their signs out, & the kids would board. Scared me silly! Driving along so fast, and then you’ve got to hit the brakes?? Hopefully in time??
Hard to see DC as being worse than Boston TBH. The full impact of our traffic nightmare becomes obvious if you’ve ever seen the HOV lane and how empty it is, even during rush hour. So many folks just driving in/out of the city by themselves..nobody carpools and not enough people use public transit. And the worst part is that every time Boston/Boston metro area proposes a bike lane or some other means of encouraging people to leave their cars at home, the Boomers lose their damn minds. Sigh.
I live downtown in Boston and we have lots of bike lanes, but I’ve never seen more that a few people using them. And a lot of people used public transportation before the pandemic – the T was packed during rush hour. But not as much now since people started working remotely. Plus, with all the recent repairs, the T is really unreliable.
Checking in from the north end! Boston traffic is horrible, I think a lot of it is how bad the T has gotten. It’s just so much slower and less reliable than it was even just 10 years ago. And I’d love to bike but I’ve seen so many insane drivers and delivery vehicles just cut into the bike lanes it doesn’t feel safe. If I can’t walk somewhere I take an uber, which is nuts and makes traffic worse but it’s the best option way too often.
You know @Kitten, it can be easier to drive your own car than try to negotiate public transportation if you have an age-related disability or mobility problem. I really can’t do stairs, and I’m really slow, and my balance is crap, even with a cane.
@BeanieBean, I will never forget the time we were visiting NYC and were using the subway and we were heading for an escalator and they weren’t working.
I was slow because of back and knee issues but struggling not to slow my line up. It was horrible!
It sort of felt like zombie movie when they are swarming as everyone around me moved so fast.
I was surprised LA wasn’t higher up there. The 405 is a nightmare.
One thing about DC traffic, I think, is Maryland actively avoids building more roads because impermeable surfaces lead to water pollution, and Maryland has a devotion to saving the Chesapeake Bay, which Virginia just doesn’t care about. Maryland is still building houses and shopping centers, but there are restrictions in wetlands areas and on the banks of rivers, and it just doesn’t seem like (in my area at least) that infrastructure is keeping up with the residential and commercial building, which just leads to more people using the same roads
The Chesapeake Bay runs right through the middle of Maryland, which is why they care. The bay only affects the eastern part of Virginia, which is why they don’t.
I’m shocked not to see Atlanta on that list. I loathe driving there. I live in NYC, but both of my siblings live in ATL – on opposite sides of the city, so when I visit, I spend way too much miserable time in the car.
I was SHOCKED to not see atlanta on that list. I went to college there 20 years ago, and I basically didn’t drive anywhere from 3 pm to 7 pm. and I was in Decatur, not at Georgia Tech or someplace more downtown. Once I went out for a burrito (Willys 4Ever) and it was a mile from my dorm. It took me 35 minutes to get there. WHOOPS. And everytime i’ve gone back to visit since then its just as bad, if not worse.
Oh, yeah, I agree with both y’all, Atlanta is a nightmare.
I’m surprised Atlanta didn’t make the cut. It takes an hour to go somewhere 10 minutes way – it’s all under construction with no end in sight. Atl has the rudest drivers ever and also the most dangerous, flying 100 mph an hour crossing 6 lanes of traffic with no indicator while drunk high and stupid. There’s never any highway patrol to catch the a-holes endangering everyone and there are always massive, catastrophic accidents, then the ensuing rubber necking which brings everything to a halt as you are forced to look at horrific scenes of people being pulled from their vehicles out of terrifying wreckage. Mattresses flying off pickups on I-285, ladders, items of furniture. And then there’s the aggressive driving literally riding up on people who are in the slow lane so that you cannot brake if the person in front of you brakes and you just get rear ended by these insurrectionist confederate flag wavers with zero understanding that someone may need to brake or slow down.
Eff that city and all the jackasses who endanger the lives of everyone on the highways – it’s in my rear view forever. When I have to be there (I keep it under 24 hours) I uber.
I travel a fair amount for work, and ATL was my home airport for about six years. The drive on I20 itself was OK, until I got in the vicinity of the airport, then it went crazy. I always drive the speed limit, using cruise control, and there’s a section where you’re supposed to slow from 60 to 50 & I swear, I had so many people riding on my bumper & honking just because I did what I was supposed to do, slow down in what was now a high density area.
@BeanieBean you are so right and it’s infuriating. These bullies behind the wheel in Atlanta are out of control! I usually drive in the slow lane (because I drive the speed limit or the flow of traffic no more than 10 miles over) but here comes that jackass in a pickup to ride my bumper like there are not 5 other frigging lanes to my left where you could pass me. It’s sociopathic – I’ve never seen anything like the BS and the psycho behind the wheel that is Atlanta.
I lived in Northern VA 6 months years ago; it took me an hour and a half to drive 18 miles. I vowed never again and moved.
I’m surprised Seattle isn’t higher. Every person I know who lives or has lived in Seattle talks about how awful the traffic is there. I don’t hear that as much about NYC because most of my friends who live there don’t drive! Most either take public transportation (subway specifically) or bike. And they occasionally use rideshares like Uber or Lyft. I live in Chicago and traffic is truly only as bad as how much road construction is being done. Right now there is a major 5 year construction project happening on one of the major highways and they had the genius idea to close ALL the entrances and exits in my neighborhood – all at once. For the entirety of last Fall – just as kids were going back to school and traffic was getting heavier. So that was fun.
As someone who visited NYC with the kids years ago, it is one of the cities on that list with a great public transportation system! Traffic is horrible, but it’s easier to avoid than in say, Atlanta.
I can attest to NYC traffic. A van once zoomed past me and knocked off my side-view mirror. Just kept on driving. You have to be lucky to get reasonable traffic in Manhattan. Very sad too are the poor people walking into traffic, especially on highways out of the city, selling food items or flowers. They could so easily get killed. Manhattan is a place of the very, very rich and the very, very poor.
Native New Englander here – Boston is the absolute worst. Most streets don’t have signs. Improvements promised since the Big Dig in the late 80’s never materialized. Any time, day or night that you drive to and around Boston it is bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I have driven to, in and around NYC for 30 years. I would take it in a heartbeat over Boston any day.