Here's How Traffic In San Rafael Ranks Nationwide

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Nobody likes sitting in traffic, but a new report shows that drivers in some cities spend much more time staring at brake lights than others.

INRIX, an analytical data company that examines traffic patterns, recently published its annual study of the most-congested cities in the world.

San Rafael ranked as the 38th most-congested urban area in the United States on the 2019 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, which examined more than 975 cities across the world.

San Rafael drivers average 19 mph in the last mile of their trip, according to the report. Also, commuters in San Rafael lose an average of 33 hours and $481 per driver to traffic congestion each year, the report said.

But Boston, which topped INRIX's American rankings for the second straight year, has it worst, with congestion in 2019 costing city residents an average of 149 hours and $2,205 per driver.

Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., round out the worst five U.S. cities for congestion in the rankings. At the other end of the traffic spectrum, Wichita, Kansas, tops the study for the least amount of congestion for a city in the United States.

INRIX determined the rankings by using observed trips to identify the most-frequented routes and destinations within a region. INRIX then calculated the additional time it would take to travel those routes with traffic and delays.

To read more about the methodology, find the full report here.

Bogota, Colombia, is the worst city in the world for traffic congestion, according to the report, where drivers spend 191 hours in traffic on average in a year.

Here are the nation's 10 most congested urban areas, according to INRIX, along with their worldwide rank. See the full scorecard here.

1. Boston (9)
2. Chicago (10)
3. Philadelphia (12)
4. New York City (14)
5. Washington, D.C. (21)
6. Los Angeles (26)
7. San Francisco (30)
8. Portland, Oregon (43)
9. Baltimore (46)
10. Atlanta (47)

Patch editor Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.