Los Angeles, Vancouver Top List of Most Congested Cities

It will come as little surprise to anyone from Los Angeles that their city is ranked highest on a new list measuring traffic congestion. What is surprising is that three of the top five cities with the worst congestion in North America are in Canada.

Those three Canadian cities are Vancouver (2nd), Montreal (4th) and Toronto (5th) with third place belonging to San Francisco.

The list, compiled by navigation company TomTom in its North American Traffic Index study ranks traffic congestion comparing drive times during non-peak hours to rush hour commute times. According to TomTom, travel times in Los Angeles increase by 34% during rush hour, with Vancouver a close second at 33%. San Fancisco’s commute times are 29% longer, while Montreal’s are 28% longer and rush hour drive times in Toronto are 27% longer.

Done quarterly, the index ranks 26 major metropolitan areas and provides info on cities that are rising and falling on the list. The top three cities with increasing traffic are Houston, San Francisco and Minneapolis, while the top three cities with decreasing (improving) traffic congestion are Edmonton, Ottawa and Washington.

Of note, the index also lists the percentage increased commute time at peak hours during rush hour, with the evening peak rush hour time in Los Angeles 74% longer than the average.

According to TomTom, its index, which began in 2007, is the most accurate measure of traffic congestion, using real time data rather than models. TomTom uses the data to improve its service while providing third-party information to governments and transportation planners across the continent.