Next time you're stuck in traffic in Phoenix, consider this: the traffic in literally every other big city in the country is worse.
TomTom, the company that makes the GPS products, used its data to compare travel times while there's no traffic, and when there's the heaviest traffic, in cities across the world.
Using data from more than 1.7 million miles traveled around Phoenix, TomTom's annual traffic report says travel times in Phoenix are about 12 percent higher during the times with the heaviest traffic (i.e., rush hour) than when there's no traffic.
Compare that with Los Angeles, which is the worst in the country, with 35 percent longer times.
The report figures that in Phoenix, for every hour that you drive during peak congestion, you're delayed by 16 minutes. So, say you have a half-hour commute to and from work five days a week, you waste about 48 hours of your life every year delayed by congestion. (Reflect on that one.)
If you're looking for an excuse to leave work early today, here it is -- Wednesday evenings have the worst congestion in Phoenix (although Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't far behind.)
TomTom did the same analysis for the 53 biggest metropolitan areas in the country, and although Phoenix did have the lowest level of congestion among the biggest cities, it's a little higher than in a few smaller places: Raleigh, Richmond, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.
Click here to check out the report.
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