In what may be no surprise for drivers in Philadelphia, the city has been ranked among the most traffic-congested not just in America but the world.
In 2020, Philadelphia was the second-most congested city in America and the fifth-most on the world, according to traffic analytics company Inrix, which released its latest annual report earlier this week.
Inrix analyzed commute times between cities’ major employment centers and surrounding neighborhoods.
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Despite a 34% drop from 2019 – largely because more people were staying home and driving less due to the coronavirus pandemic – Philadelphia drivers still lost an average of 94 hours in traffic in 2020, according to Inrix. For comparison, drivers across the whole of the U.S. only lost an average of 26 hours.
The report found that traffic congestion not only cost Philadelphians time but also money – an average of $1,388.32, to be exact.
So how slow was traffic?
Within one mile of Philadelphia’s “downtown core,” drivers averaged 12 mph, only 2 mph faster than in 2019, the report found. During the peak of the morning and afternoon commute, speeds only averaged 23 mph, while the low point in the morning and afternoon commutes still only produced peak speeds averaging 39 mph.
The good news for those that hate sitting in traffic is that the city is currently trying to expand commuting beyond the need for cars. Plans include a SEPTA bus network redesign to improve efficiency and reliability, and, in the long-term, providing trains every 15 minutes on the Regional Rail system.
