Here’s How Traffic In San Diego Ranks Nationwide

SAN DIEGO, CA – Traffic is not only a drain on the economy — to the tune of billions of dollars in costs — it can consume hours each day and also affect mental health. But a new report shows drivers in some cities spend much more time staring at brake lights than others. San Diego is one of them, unfortunately, landing in the top 50 most congested cities nationwide, according to a new report.

The company INRIX Research released its 2018 “Global Traffic Scorecard” rankings Tuesday, finding that congestion is an “indiscriminate global phenomenon” that is dramatically affected by population, economy, infrastructure and the popularity of ride-hailing and delivery services.

San Diego ranked as the 40th most impacted city in the country when it comes to traffic congestion. Drivers in our city lose up to 56 hours per year in traffic. See San Diego's report card here.

Of course it could be worse: You could live in Boston.

Ranked as the two cities most affected by traffic congestion were Boston and Washington, D.C. Drivers in those cities lose up to 164 and 155 hours in traffic a year, respectively, the study found.

Here are the 10 cities with the worst congestion and how many hours they lose to traffic per year.

1. Boston, 164
2. Washington, D.C., 155
3. Chicago, 138
4. New York City, 133
5. Los Angeles, 128
6. Seattle, 138
7. Pittsburgh, 127
8. San Francisco, 116
9. Philadelphia, 112
10. Portland, Oregon, 116

Nationwide, drivers lose 97 hours in congestion, the authors wrote. That costs Americans $87 billion a year in time, an average of $1,348 per driver.

The report notably does not reflect the impact of the time loss for people of different incomes. So cities with a “robust” public transit system — like San Francisco — could provide an alternative means of transportation for lower-income households.

“In contrast, in a city like Houston (up to $1,365), many households depend on driving, which is more expensive on a per mile basis. Determining the true impacts of congestion is dependent upon a city’s unique economic profile and commute trends.” Click here for full report.

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--Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report/Photo credit: Shutterstock