Los Angeles Returns To Top Spot For Most Congested City In America
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles metro area has returned to the top of the list of the worst cities for traffic in the United States, according to a new report.
INRIX, a leading international provider of traffic information and driver services, released their annual Traffic Scorecard Wednesday, and put LA as the most congested city.
The average driver wasted approximately 60 hours in congestion in 2012, nearly nine hours more than Honolulu, which won the award last year, and 10 hours more than San Francisco.
"Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons are the worst days of the week for traffic in LA," Jim Bak is co-author of the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO.
Los Angeles Returns To Top Spot For Most Congested City In America
The report also tracks the most congested highways in America. The City of Angels once again lead the way with four freeways in the top 10. Los Angeles also has 35 of the busiest roads in the country, according to the report.
"Traffic congestion is tied to the economy, and the increase in congestion closely aligns with the increase in employment," Inrix said in its study. "Los Angeles County gained 90,000 jobs in February 2013 - a growth rate of 2.3 percent. This is the fastest year-over-year growth since the recession began in December 2007."
Other notable local traffic information in the study include:
-The most congested hour of the week: Friday at 5 p.m. when it takes more than an hour to get home.
-The worst section of road in Los Angeles: the San Diego (405) Freeway. The southbound 8.1-mile stretch from Nordhoff St. to Mulholland Dr. takes 51 minutes on Tuesday mornings between 8-9 a.m. This jumped from number seven to number two spot on this list in 2012.
- Eastbound I-10 from Lincoln Blvd. to Alameda: an average of 63 minutes to drive 15 miles on Thursday from 6-7 p.m. with speeds averaging 14 miles an hour. Other evening commutes are about 47 minutes. This area ranks number four on the list, down from five last year.
National data shows overall congestion in the United States is back on the rise in 2013 after two straight years of significant declines.
