BOSTON — A steep reduction in the amount of traffic on Boston-area roadways during the coronavirus pandemic has dropped the city from first to fourth on a list of the nation’s most congested cities, according to a new study.
Boston drivers lost 48 hours in traffic congestion in 2020, compared to 101 hours in 2019, according to the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard released Monday.
The only U.S. cities with worse traffic last year were New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. The most congested city in the world in 2020 was Bogota, Colombia, according to the study.
Fewer hours on the road led to more money in the pockets of commuters. Boston experienced one of the largest cost savings with drivers saving more than $1,000 due to the reduction in traffic delays brought on by the sharp drop in vehicle-miles traveled, according to the report.
Commuters shouldn’t get used to less congestion and shorter commutes, Chris Dempsey of the advocacy group Transportation for Massachusetts told the Boston Herald.
“Whether we’re ranked first in the country or fourth in the country or 10th in the country, congestion is a problem that remains worth fixing,” he said.