A new study found that Los Angeles is no longer the nation’s worst traffic city, with remote work during the pandemic leading to less traffic on roadways throughout the country.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute study released on Tuesday found that after holding the first-place spot for three decades, Los Angeles was replaced by the New York City area as having the nation’s worst traffic. Los Angeles dropped to fourth place on the list, while Boston, Houston, and San Francisco rounded out the top five.
“Flexible work hours and reliable internet connections allow employees to choose work schedules that are beneficial for meeting family needs and the needs of their jobs,” David Schrank, one of the study’s co-authors, said. “And it also reduces the demand for roadway space, which is beneficial for the rest of us.”
US TRAFFIC DEATHS SPIKE DESPITE PANDEMIC KEEPING PEOPLE HOME
The rankings are based on the total number of hours drivers are delayed each year, with New York checking in at 494,268 hours stuck in traffic.
Traffic numbers were down across almost all regions last year in large part thanks to work-from-home orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, with residents of the top 15 worst traffic cities spending an average of over 150,000 fewer hours stuck in traffic in 2020.
The study’s authors warn such low traffic numbers are unlikely to remain that way, with California and most states lifting their restrictions and allowing employees to return to in-person work.
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“Regional traffic trends during the year contrasted somewhat with those at the national level, according to the study,” the study’s press release noted. “Even so, every urban area showed considerably more change than has ever been recorded, and 2021 is already seeing the fastest increase in traffic levels since 1982 — the first year of statistics recorded by the UMR.”
