Malden Intersection Worst In MA For Delays

MALDEN, MA — A Malden intersection the worst in the state for traffic light delays, according to a recent report.

The transportation analytics company INRIX analyzed over 210,000 signaled intersections across the country and found that Massachusetts generally, and the Broadway and Eastern Avenue intersection in Malden specifically, are among the worst offenders.

Just 20.4 percent of cars, or one in five, arrive at the intersection on a green light, resulting in an average 55.3-second delay per vehicle and a 504 total hourly delay.

Nationwide, 62.8 percent of vehicles arrive at intersections on green lights and drivers are delayed just 16.9 seconds on average. The average signal results in 82 hours of delay per day.

But Massachusetts and the Boston metro area are among the worst for several delay metrics. Just 56 percent of drivers arrive at green lights at crossings across the state, the worst mark of any state; the Boston metro rate is 55.9 percent, the worst of any major metro.

The state also fares poorly in seconds delay per vehicle and percent of driver time spent stopped at signals. Across over 4,000 Massachusetts traffic signals, 338,472 hours are spent waiting each day, INRIX found.

Other low-performing intersections in Massachusetts include Commerce Way and Mishawum Road in Woburn, where just under one in three drivers arrives at a green light, and Route 9 and Lake Avenue North in Worcester, where only a quarter arrives at a green light.

The worst intersection in the nation for delays was in Saginaw, Texas, where drivers typically wait nearly 2 minutes for the light to change, and only 20 percent arrive at a green light.