3 Philly-Area Intersections Among Nation's Worst: Report

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Philadelphia traffic is among the most-congested in the world and three Philly-area intersections have been named some of the worst in the nation, according to a new report.

South 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue landed at No. 2 in the United States in terms of how many cars make it through while the light is green. That's in the 2020 U.S. Signals Scorecard from Inrix, a company that specializes in traffic and parking analytics.

According to the report, just 17.8 percent of those vehicles get through at the intersection. Street Road and Bustleton Pike, in Lower Southampton near Bensalem, was ranked the 17th worst, at 21 percent, and West Cheltenham Avenue and E. Washington Lane in Philly was ranked 24th, at 21.6 percent.

For the report, Inrix analyzed 195,321 traffic signals. Of those, 33,386 averaged at least 1,000 vehicle crossings per day, qualifying them for consideration in the rankings. The data was taken from a week of observation.

The Inrix report says that traffic delays in urban areas fell nearly 50 percent in 2020, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic and its associated shutdowns. That, the company says, saved U.S. drivers nearly 75 hours compared to 2019.

New York, Philadelphia and Chicago saved the most time due to reduced traffic congestion in the United States, according to the report. Philly drivers still lost 94 hours during their commutes, it said, but that was down 34 percent from 2019.

"COVID-19 has completely transformed when, where and how people move," said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at Inrix. "Government restrictions and the continued spread of the virus led to shifts in travel behavior seemingly overnight. Morning commutes in cities across the world went without delay as people reduced auto and transit travel to offices, schools, shopping centers and other public spaces."

On a list of the most congested urban areas in the United States, Philadelphia moved up a slot to No. 2, passing Chicago and behind only New York City. Philly ranked fifth in the world, in traffic congestion, up from 12th last year, according to Inrix.

It came in behind only Bogota, Columbia, Bucharest, Romania, New York City and Moscow, Russia.

The report was not the first time that studies have shined an unflattering light on intersections along Street Road, in Bucks County. Back in 2014, TIME magazine ranked Street Road and Knights Road, also in Bensalem, as the most-deadly crossing in the United States.