The Burrow
Oct 10, 2023
Even though COVID made it possible for more people to work from home, surprisingly, 52% of the world’s population continue to commute to work five or more days every single week, according to Euromonitor.1
So, if congestion is showing no signs of stopping, which cities are the worst for traffic? By analysing social media data from Linkfluence, the home loan and refinancing experts at Compare the Market were able to see which cities were complaining about traffic the most, to uncover the worst places for commuters.
Read on to find out if your city makes the cut.
With many North Americans favouring driving to work over getting public transport, which cities are officially the worst for commuting?
With the highest negative sentiment score of 46.5% and 20,831 negative tweets about traffic in the past year, Los Angeles firmly cements itself as the worst US city for traffic. One of the key reasons for this is that the city doesn’t have a well-connected public transport system; and coupled with the fact that LA’s more sprawling than the likes of New York, more people are on the roads, meaning there’s more congestion.
Vancouver is officially the most congested city in Canada, and the second most across North America, with a negative sentiment of 41.8%.
Highway 1 is one of the most notorious roads for traffic – whilst it was initially built for people going out of the city on long drives, it’s a popular way for people to commute into Vancouver. According to a survey by TomTom, a 10km drive in Vancouver will likely take you 22 minutes and 30 seconds to complete.2
With a negative sentiment of 40.2% and a staggering 34,178 negative tweets regarding traffic, the Big Apple comes in third place for its bad traffic.
Despite the subway system stretching from Brooklyn to the Bronx, traffic on the roads is still bad, which isn’t surprising, considering New York City has the largest population in the US, at 7,888,121.
Houston comes in fourth place, with 19,264 negative tweets about the bad traffic, and a negative sentiment of 39.3%.
The most congested areas to avoid during rush hour (if you can) include the West Loop Freeway between I-10 and I-69, as well as the South Loop East Freeway, from I-45 to I-10.
Rounding off our top five worst commuter cities in North America is Alberta’s Calgary. Despite only having a population of 1,639,613, negative sentiment regarding the traffic stands at 39.2%, with 1,438 negative tweets made about it.
Some of the most congested streets to try and avoid if you don’t want to get stuck in traffic include Ottawa River Roadway, Woodroffe, and Queen Elizabeth Parkway.
Philadelphia, Toronto, Edmonton, Dallas, and Winnipeg all make it into the top 10 for the worst North American commuter cities.
Whilst cities in Europe are more well-known for their effective public transport systems compared to North America, major cities still suffer from serious traffic.
Ireland’s capital officially has the worst commutes in Europe, with a negative sentiment score of 38.2%, and 4,243 negative tweets about the traffic.
According to INRIX’s Global Traffic Scorecard, cars in downtown Dublin drive at just 5.9 miles an hour,3 and with many publications showing frustrations from commuters on public transport about buses turning up late or not at all, it’s clear to see that congestion is an issue whichever way you use the roads.
With a population of 3,088,414, Izmir has the second worst commutes in Europe, with 441 negative tweets about the traffic, and a negative sentiment score of 36.5%.
The city’s winding streets with its sometimes poorly marked signs means that driving around the city can take longer than expected; so, if you’re visiting Izmir, it’s recommended you travel by train instead.
Barcelona is the third worst commuter city, with its 5,687,356 residents making 3,739 complaints about the traffic on Twitter, resulting in a negative sentiment score of 34.1%.
Some of the key roads to avoid if possible include Avenida Diagonal, Las Rondas, and Operacion Salida. However, if you’re commuting across Barcelona, then its metro system is a quick and efficient way of getting from A to B.
Porto makes it into fourth place in Europe for its congestion, and surprisingly, Copenhagen is fifth, despite the fact that a lot of commuters travel by bike instead of by car. Sofia, Antwerp, Naples, Madrid, and Cologne all make it into the top 10.
Moving over to Australia and New Zealand, discover the cities that have the worst commuting times – whether you choose to drive, or use public transport.
With a negative sentiment score of 44.9%, and 6,345 negative traffic tweets from its 5,120,894-strong population, Sydney is the worst city for commuting across Australia and New Zealand.
The worst areas in Sydney for traffic include Haymarket, The Rocks, Liverpool, and Ryde – although perhaps nowhere is worse than the infamous Parramatta Road.
Melbourne is close behind in second place, with the 5,235,407-strong population making 2,553 negative tweets about the traffic, resulting in a 34.6% negative sentiment score.
Approximately 75% of residents use a car to get to work, according to the last census,4 with West Gate Freeway, Monash Freeway, and the M80 Ring Road some of the most congested roads in the city.
Auckland is officially the most congested city in New Zealand, and the third most when you take other Australian cities into account. Auckland traffic has a negative sentiment score of 30.6%.
The motorways are the worst for congestion, of which there are four: the Southern Motorway, the Northern Motorway (which is arguably the worst as it’s by Harbour Bridge), SH20, and SH16. If you’re commuting around Auckland, then try and be close to a train station, or near enough to work so you can walk.
Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth all also made it onto the list, although Perth is significantly better for congestion, with a negative sentiment score of just 8%.
General Manager of Money at Compare the Market, Stephen Zeller, notes that traffic and commuting still remains a big factor when it comes to buying a home.“If you’re considering moving homes and buying a house, one of the key deciding factors is how you might commute. While it’s easier than ever these days to work from home, it’s still important to factor in how far you need to regularly travel for other things like school runs, grocery trips, and catching up with friends and family,” says Zeller.
“Being stuck in traffic for hours every single day can have a negative impact on your quality of life and mental wellbeing, so transport should always remain an important consideration alongside proximity to your favourite coffee shops and bars, green spaces, schools, and more.
“The location of a property may be considered by the lender when they are deciding whether it’s acceptable to offer you a loan.
“You should always compare your home loan options to look for the right deal for you, based on your circumstances, desired location, and financial capabilities.”
Sources:
Additional references:
Methodology:
A list of global cities was compiled. Then, Linkfluence was used to source the negative sentiment score (%) for ‘[CITY] and commute/traffic’ based on Tweets from the past 12 months to reveal which city suffers the most from commute times, and how negatively people talk about it online.