Zach Buchanan
Audio By Carbonatix
Whether you’re navigating the infamous suicide lanes of Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue or rapidly merging to make your exit on the mini stack, the Valley can be a tough place to drive.
But according to a recent WalletHub study, the severity of that drive vastly varies depending on which Valley city you are in. Still, Valley drivers don’t have it as bad as the residents of Philadelphia or Oakland, which ranked as the worst places to drive among the nation’s 100 biggest cities.
WalletHub’s study compared cities based on “30 key indicators of driver-friendliness,” the study said. These indicators include road quality, gas prices, traffic congestion and auto-repair shops per capita. It used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and many other sources.
Where do the cities of the Phoenix metro fall in those categories? Kind of all over the place. Here they are, ranked worst to best.
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1. Glendale
This West Valley suburb comes in at the worst Valley city to drive in on WalletHub’s list, and 44th-worst city to drive in overall. A large chunk of the city is split in half by Grand Avenue, or U.S. Route 60. Previously, this meant an abundance of pesky five-way stop intersections. But the city has worked to build flyovers to cut down on these complex intersections.
Still, you’re bound to be stuck in Glendale traffic driving to or from a concert or football game at the city’s State Farm Stadium
2. Phoenix
Arizona’s capital city trails Glendale slightly in the rankings, but we’re not surprised. Did we mention the suicide lanes? Nationally, Phoenix ranked 50th. It’s not uncommon to see a driver go down a one-way street in downtown Phoenix or drive along the light rail tracks where they’re not supposed to.
Phoenix ranked highly in traffic and infrastructure (22nd), a middling 58th for safety and 59th for cost of ownership and maintainance, and poorly (87th) for access to vehicles and maintenance.
3. Mesa
At this point on the list, the list goes from “worst” to “among the best.” And you have to give credit where credit is due. The Valley’s grid system, especially in the east Valley, makes for easily navigable roads.
And Mesa is no different. The state’s third-largest city is No. 22 on WalletHub’s national list, ranking 13th in both safety and traffic and infrastructure. It’s pulled down only by its 70th rank in access to vehicles and maintenance and its 60th rank in cost of ownership and maintenance.
4. Gilbert
Similar to its East Valley neighbor, Gilbert ranked among the best big cities to drive in. It came in at No. 17 on WalletHub’s list, ranking first nationally in safety. However, it ranked 97th in access to vehicles and maintenance. WalletHub also noted that Gilbert had the lowest car theft rate of the ranked cities.
5. Chandler
Narrowly beating out its neighbor to the east, Chandler ranked as the 16th best city to drive in on WalletHub’s list. It outpaced Gilbert in traffic and infrastructure (8th) and cost of ownership and maintenance (47th) but not safety (17th), while ranking similarly poorly in access to vehicles and maintenance (96th).
6. Scottsdale
According to WalletHub, the best Valley city to drive in is Scottsdale. Ranking fourth nationally, Scottsdale was only beaten out only by Corpus Cristi, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Boise, Idaho.
Scottsdale ranked highly in three of the four major categories weighed by WalletHub, with the top overall finish in traffic and infrastructure and solid showings in safety (18th) and access to vehicles and maintenance (26th). Scottsdale also had the fifth-lowest likelihood of an accident compared to the national average.
