Philadelphia, PA Has the 4th Worst Traffic Congestion in the US

Philadelphia, home to the Liberty Bell, Cheese Steaks, and traffic...a lot of traffic.

They say the most important commodity we possess is time.  These days, more than ever, we seem to have more to do, and less time to do it.

If time is money, we're wasting a lot of it.  INRIX is a firm that studies our roadways, and each year releases its report on traffic in the world's biggest cities.

In this year's report, the United States placed 5 cities in the top 10 in the world for traffic delays.  Philadelphia was ranked the 6th worse city in the country, and 10th overall in the world.

The report suggests that drivers in Philly lose about 114 hours per year, dealing with traffic congestion.  Oh, and as we said, time is money...the report has calculated that the cost of traffic congestion in Philadelphia is roughly $1,900.00 per driver.

So why are our roads so congested?  The two obvious reasons are the sheer number of people commuting in and out of the city.  According to a recent census report, 120,000 people commute into Philadelphia every day, and that doesn't include those heading to the Navy Yard or University City.

Another reason for traffic issues in Philadelphia is the sheer age of the infrastructure.  The Schuykill Expressway, a major artery in and out of the city, actually predates the interstate highway system and was never intended to handle the volume of traffic that it currently sees.

So, what city has the worst traffic congestion in the world?  That would be London.  The worst congestion in North America?  Chicago has the worst traffic delays in North America with a whopping 155 hours of delays.

A couple of surprises came out of this report.  For instance, despite all those pictures we see of the LA Freeway and its massive traffic, Los Angeles was actually #9 in the US.  Other notable city ranks:  Boston at #2, and New York is #4.

Philly roads are the 4th most congested in the nation — worse than Los Angeles (inquirer.com)

How Many People Commute To Philadelphia For Work? - PartyShopMaine

Global Traffic Scorecard | INRIX Global Traffic Rankings