Top 10 Worst Cities for Traffic

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Traffic analysis company Inrix has released its annual report on traffic congestion, showing just how much time we waste in our cars in major metropolitan areas.

Here are the worst cities for congestion for 2012, as well as the time wasted during commutes last year:

  1. Los Angeles, 59 hours lost.
  2. Honolulu, 50 hours.
  3. San Francisco, 49 hours.
  4. Austin, Texas, 38 hours.
  5. New York, 50 hours.
  6. Bridgeport, Conn., 39 hours.
  7. San Jose, Calif., 31 hours.
  8. Seattle, 35 hours.
  9. Washington, D.C., 41 hours.
  10. Boston, 31 hours.

So far in 2013, 61 of the most populated cities have seen more traffic. Last year, only six of them did — the rest saw traffic declines.

Inrix says this is good news for the economy, if not for our cars’ mileage. Their top (worst) city, Los Angeles, gained an estimated 90,000 jobs in February.

“More people going back to work means … more people are willing to go out and spend money. They’re going shopping, they’re going to a movie,” the study’s author told The Associated Press. All that adds to traffic.

The study also looked at the worst roads to drive on, with factoids about the commute on each. Nine of the top 10 are in New York or San Francisco. The worst is the Cross Bronx Expressway, where drivers waste more than six days every year in traffic.

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