Worst traffic cities identified

Roadways clogged with autos, trucks and buses are a fact of life in many cities.

A new study finds the United States is the most traffic-congested country in the world, reports the transportation analytics firm INRIX.

Congested roads cost U.S. motorists almost $300 billion last year in wasted time and fuel, according to one estimate.

With the aid of social media, researchers can chronicle traffic jams all across the U.S.

There are over 4 million Instagram posts containing the hashtags #Traffic, #TrafficSucks and #TrafficJam, and the Auto Insurance Center analyzed 126,085 of those posts from 2011 to 2017 to find the most Instagram complaint-worthy cities.

Topping the list: Santa Monica, Calif.

The coastal city west of downtown Los Angeles “had 993 Instagram posts per 100,000 residents with the hashtags #Traffic, #TrafficSucks, and #TrafficJam.

Rounding out the top five:

  • Miami/Miami Beach
  • Atlanta
  • San Francisco
  • New York

The findings are in line with other studies on congestion.

The top five U.S. cities for traffic congestion, according to INRIX, are Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Miami.

Other findings from the Instagram study:

  •  The worst day of the week for traffic complaints: Friday
  •  The most relaxed day: Sunday
  •  Worst months: February and October
  •  Lightest month: April

Some of the most congested municipalities are taking steps to get traffic moving, INRIX reports.

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