TomTom's taking traffic congestion to the future, aggregating speed data from its in-car navigation systems to pinpoint precisely which cities have the worst traffic congestion. Here's their scientifically-derived 20 most traffic-clogged cities. The results may surprise some.
TomTom collected data from its Tele Atlas business system GPS data to determine what streets were "congested." In order to qualify a driver has to travel at only 70% or less than the posted speed limits. And while cities like Los Angeles and New York make the top five, it's actually Seattle, Washington at the top of the pile with 43% of the roads considered congested. Full details in the gallery.
Rank: 20th
City: Houston, Texas
% Of Roads Congested: 23%
Population: 2.24 million
Rank: 19th
City: Portland, Oregon
% Of Roads Congested: 23%
Population: 557,706
Rank: 18th
City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
% Of Roads Congested: 24%
Population: 422,655
Rank: 17th
City: Long Island, New York
% Of Roads Congested: 24%
Population: 7.45 million
Rank: 16th
City: Phoenix, Arizona
% Of Roads Congested:
Population: 1.57 million
Rank: 15th
City: Austin, Texas
% Of Roads Congested: 25%
Population: 757,688
Rank: 14th
City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
% Of Roads Congested: 25%
Population: 1.54 million
Rank: 13th
City: Fairfax County, Virginia
% Of Roads Congested: 26%
Population: 1.02 million
Rank: 12th
City: Boston, Massachusetts
% Of Roads Congested: 27%
Population: 620,535
Rank: 11th
City: Atlanta, Georgia
% Of Roads Congested: 27%
Population: 537,958
Rank: 10th
City: Oakland, California
% Of Roads Congested: 28%
Population: 645,345
Rank: 9th
City: Alexandria, Virginia
% Of Roads Congested: 28%
Population: 140,024
Rank: 8th
City: San Jose, California
% Of Roads Congested: 29%
Population: 948,279
Rank: 7th
City: Washington, D.C.
% Of Roads Congested: 30%
Population: 591,833
Rank: 6th
City: New York, New York
% Of Roads Congested: 31%
Population: 8.37 million
Rank: 5th
City: San Francisco, California
% Of Roads Congested: 35%
Population:
Rank: 4th
City: Montgomery County, Maryland
% Of Roads Congested: 37%
Population: 808,976
Rank: 3rd
City: Chicago, Illinois
% Of Roads Congested: 37%
Population: 2.85 million
Rank: 2nd
City: Los Angeles, California
% Of Roads Congested: 38%
Population: 3.83 million
Rank: 1st
City: Seattle, Washington
% Of Roads Congested: 43%
Population: 602,000