BOSTON - There is a slew of surveys that have been conducted in recent months that have determined that Boston ranks among the top cities in the world for certain restaurants, hotels, vacation getaways, and more. Unfortunately, not every survey that ranks Boston near the top of the results can be one that skews positive.

Surveys are conducted, on occasion, for negative aspects of a city, too. That is what this latest study INRIX aimed to investigate. The company that specializes in analysis and statistics for transportation methods conducted its annual survey to determine which city has the most traffic congestion in the entire United States. Can you guess which one finished first?

Anyone who has driven in Boston knows that the city would be a strong contender for the worst traffic congestion and that is just what INRIX confirmed. It was not Los Angeles, notorious and popularized for its hours-upon-hours traffic, or New York, with its constant horn honking. It was Boston. According to INRIX's 2020 survey, Boston has the worst traffic congestion of any American city for the second consecutive year.

While Boston earned the title for the second time, the city's overall traffic numbers did see a reduction from last year. In 2018, it was determined by INRIX that 164 hours were lost in traffic for Boston drivers. In 2019, however, that number slid down to 149. It's still a whopping total (good for roughly six total days spent in traffic), but it is at least an improvement.

The study went so far as to determine the economic and environmental costs of these traffic statistics. Per the survey, Boston drivers lost, on average, $1,377 due to their position in traffic, which could lead to greater pollution and a larger number of car accidents. In total, this resulted in an $88 billion loss for Boston drivers, as a whole. It doesn't get much better when one considers that the alternatives to driving in Boston, like the MBTA, are not much more efficient.

Surprisingly, in the survey, Los Angeles did not rank in the top five. Rounding out the top positions with Boston are, in descending order, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C.

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