Chicago and New York City tied for the title of the U.S. cities with the worst traffic congestion in 2024, according to INRIX’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard. The report revealed that commuters in both cities spent an average of 102 hours sitting in traffic last year, the highest in the nation. Los Angeles followed in third place with an average of 88 hours lost in traffic.
Chicago’s congestion increased by 6% compared to 2023, with INRIX analyzing anonymous data from phones, vehicles, and city records to compile its findings.
The average speed for a downtown Chicago trip was approximately 14 mph, tying for the third-slowest in the U.S. This sluggish pace comes at a financial cost, with INRIX estimating the average driver in Chicago spent $1,826 annually due to traffic delays.
Nationwide, traffic congestion has been rising, with nine out of ten large metro areas reporting more trips to their urban centers. Houston saw the largest jump, with a 25% increase. Analysts attributed the trend to a return to in-person work and an uptick in nighttime trips during weekends, as cities encourage both residents and visitors to rediscover downtown life.
Chicago reflected this shift, experiencing a 14% rise in downtown trips on Fridays compared to the previous year, underscoring the broader resurgence in urban activity.
The Guardian Angels are resuming patrols of New York City’s subways.
The development follows a woman being set on fire while asleep, resulting in her death.
“We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979,” Guardian Angeles Curtis Sliwa said, as reported by the New York Post.
“We went from 13 to 1,000 [members] back then within a period of a year,” he said. “Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s.”
