Philadelphia’s Bumper-to-Bumper Commutes Bump It Once Again to National Congested-Traffic List

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traffic jam at night
Image via Koushik Pal at Unsplash.
Even with daily commuting habits curtailed by COVID-19, the Philadelphia area made a 2021 list for consistent congested traffic woes.

Local commutes have once again put Philadelphia on a ranking of the ten most congested areas in the country, according to a recently released report by INRIX.

In the 2021 Global Traffic Scorecard, INRIX identified and ranked congestion and mobility trends in over 1,000 cities throughout the nation as economic and social disruption continued due to the pandemic.

On average, drivers lost 36 hours due to congestion in 2021. This is a ten-hour increase over 2020 but is still 63 hours lower than prepandemic levels.

“COVID-19’s impact on transportation has continued through 2021, transforming when, where, and how people move,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Although congestion climbed 28 percent this year, Americans still saved 63 hours compared to normal.”

Philadelphia ranked third on the list, behind only Chicago and New York, with an average of 90 hours lost to an average driver. This represents a decrease of 37 percent compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. Downtown trips also fell by 22 percent.

The lost hours cost drivers an average of $1,404. In total, congestion cost the city $3.3 billion.

Still, the City of Brotherly Love did better than in 2020, when it came second on the list.

Read more about national congested commutes at INRIX.

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