Driver, Beware
One would hope that, for such a car-dependent country, the United States would have the necessary infrastructure to support all those cars. Unfortunately, the opposite is true most of the time, with cities pushed to capacity by cars with nowhere else to go. Let's look at a few major cities that are a nightmare to drive in, along with a few that are a dream.
1. Chicago
While this list is in no particular order, several rankings have put Chicago's traffic as the worst in the country. A massive transportation hub, many Chicagoans are forgoing public transit in favor of driving. Chicago's weather variations, along with the weight of many transport trucks, takes a physical toll on the roads.
2. New York City
While New York City is relatively easy to navigate on foot or by public transit, it can be an absolute nightmare on the road. High population density and limited road space are two major factors in making the Big Apple a rotten driving experience. Newly-implemented congestion pricing doesn't help, either.
3. Philadelphia
Philadelphia's beautiful colonial architecture is great for sightseers and history buffs, not so much for drivers. The historic infrastructure was built for horse-drawn traffic rather than hordes of automobiles. Not only are the streets tight and crowded, but they're also prone to potholes.
4. Washington, D.C.
This heading could read "the DMV" but we'd rather focus in on the capital itself. D.C. has the longest commute time in the country at a grueling six hours on weekdays. Add in rapid population growth and construction projects, and you have a match made in hell.
5. Boston
Like Philadelphia, Boston's historical roads were not built for cars, leading to narrow streets, bottlenecking, and confusing commutes. Speaking of commuters, as the city gets more expensive, more people who work downtown have to commute in from the suburbs. We're not going to get into the temperament of the average Bostonian...
6. Los Angeles
Unlike other cities on this list, LA was built for cars, it's just that it was built extremely poorly. The city sprawl is extremely spread out, but not in any way that's consistent. This leads to incomplete freeways, inadequate public transit, and long commutes.
7. Dallas
While Houston may be the most congested city in Texas, driving through Dallas is no walk in the park. Dallas is growing bigger each year, and all those new bodies need new cars to drive them. Flexible work schedules have also changed not only how much congestion there is, but when that congestion is worst.
8. Miami
While several major cities in Florida are surprisingly drivable, Miami is not one of them. Miami drivers lose 105 hours to traffic each year thanks to tourist traffic and a lack of public transit. That the I-95 is a hotspot for fender-benders certainly doesn't help.
9. San Francisco
Like LA in the south, San Francisco has all the problems you would expect from a major commuter city with the added bonus of inconsistent geography. Almost 3/4 of SF's roads are in poor condition, which makes driving both slow and perilous. It takes the average driver 4.3 minutes to drive a mile.
10. Atlanta
Every hour is rush hour in Atlanta. Atlanta is a sprawling city with lots of suburbs, leading to a decentralized layout that forces car reliance. Additionally, Atlanta's original roads were heavily informed by segregation, meant to divide Black and white neighborhoods, connecting nobody.
Now that we've covered some of the cities with the worst traffic, let's look at a few that are more drivable.
1. Raleigh
Named one of the best cities to drive in, Raleigh has a balanced road network with an excellent car-to-person ratio. Raleigh also boasts low accident rates and plenty of public parking. However, as the city continues to grow, its traffic may worsen.
2. Boise
Boise is everything a capital city should be: walkable and beautiful, with nice weather and little congestion. What traffic there is is congregated around expected rush hours and is still far more manageable than other cities. At least you'll have plenty of natural beauty to look at when you stop.
3. Greensboro
While Greensboro is a relatively large city, it isn't overwhelmingly so. This makes it easier to navigate than cities such as Los Angeles and Atlanta, which are known for their suburban sprawl. Additionally, the downtown core is relatively small, making foot traffic far preferable to automotive.
4. Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is regularly ranked one of the best cities in the country for drivers. The roads and particularly the bridges are regularly maintained, leading to fewer accidents and less wear on your car itself. Plus, you can legally drive along the beach!
5. Scottsdale
Phoenix's bougie eastern neighbor, Scottsdale has excellent driving infrastructure and a low accident rate. Scottsdale's consistent weather means that drivers rarely have to worry about freak storms and low visibility. Additionally, Scottsdale has a low rate of car theft.
6. Jacksonville
Calling Jacksonville's traffic "good" may be an overstatement, but it's at least decent compared to other cities of its size. Commute times are lower than the national average, and the city's space actually helps spread out traffic rather than increase it. All bets are off when the weather turns bad, however.
7. Winston-Salem
We don't want this article to read like North Carolina propaganda, it's just that NC's cities are some of the best in the country where driving is concerned. Commute times are just 20 minutes on average! However, rush hour brings a lot of dangerous drivers out of the woodwork.
8. Oklahoma City
OKC's wide roads and grid system make managing traffic a breeze, even during rush hour. This makes commutes much more manageable than cities of similar size. However, Oklahoma City is also massive, so crossing the city will take some time.
9. Austin
Like Jacksonville, Austin's traffic isn't necessarily "good", but it's a dream when set against the competition. The SH-130 Toll Road helps drivers bypass the congestion on the notoriously crowded I-35. Austin is also one of the best cities in the country for infrastructure.
10. Lincoln
Perhaps its disingenuous to compare traffic in Nebraska to traffic in New York. However, with a population of over 300k, Lincoln isn't exactly a backwater. While there can be some congestion during football seasons, the city is, for the large part, easy and quick to navigate.
