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Did commuting get worse in 2022? Overall, congestion cost the country more than $81 billion, says transportation data firm Inrix. Global Traffic just released his scorecard last year, whose data shows that the typical US driver spent his 51 hours in traffic last year, 15 more than he did in 2021. And with higher fuel prices and other inflation, the average driver paid $134. Fuel costs were higher last year than last year, and we lost an additional $869 in time.
While not as severe as 2020 or 2021, we can still see the impact of the pandemic in Inrix’s data. In the U.S., vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 1% year-over-year, but they still drive 9% fewer miles per year than they did pre-pandemic. Interestingly, Inrix says this is because more people continue to work from home, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, before the pandemic, working from home was 5.7 percent of workers accounted for only a percent.
Sadly road safety is still pretty bad. The estimated mortality rate of 1.27 per 100 million VMT is 17% higher than in 2019, but down slightly from the 2021 high of 1.3 per 100 million VMT. And while some of the other trends seen in the report are also found in countries such as the UK and Germany, the increase in road deaths appears to be unique to the US.
Inrix collects data not only on car movements, but also on public transport. Things are better than at any time since the pandemic began. COVID has caused the American to cut bus, train and streetcar use by 50% of his, but in 2022 he will recoup his 33% of that loss due to increased ridership. Overall, U.S. public transportation usage remains down 39% from he 2019.
Cycling has become more popular in Germany and the UK over the last few years, but here in the US, that hasn’t really happened. New York City and Washington, DC saw an increase in bike share rentals, while cities like Seattle and San Francisco saw a decline in cyclists.
Your traffic is bad – London traffic is worse
Inrix not only examines national trends, but also scores congestion in cities around the world. London tops the charts again, up 5% year-on-year. With an average driving speed of just 10 mph in downtown London, the average Londoner has lost 156 hours in traffic jams in 2022.
However, the situation is much the same in Chicago, where it moves up four spots to No. 2 in 2022. The Windy City driver has wasted 155 hours in traffic jams, a 49% increase for him compared to 2021. That’s a mile an hour faster than London.
Paris won the bronze medal, with residents spending 138 hours idling, 1% less than last year. But the US can be proud of her 4th place and her 5th place in Boston and New York. Boston saw a big leap forward, up 72% from last year, with a total of 134 hours jammed. But New Yorkers did a little better, with 117 hours lost to traffic.
