A new study says Chicagoans spend 73 hours in traffic per year which is above the national average of 54. Here's what Curbed Chicago says:
The average Chicago driver wastes 73 hours a year stuck in traffic—well above the national average of 54 hours—according to 2019 Urban Mobility Report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Chicago ranked tenth highest in the nation when it came to the number of hours wasted by auto commuter and third in the country for cumulative time spent in traffic at 352 million hours.
In Chicago, the time and fuel spent as a result of traffic delays cost $1,307 per commuter, which was the tenth highest in the nation. When it came to the total economic cost of the city’s traffic, the yearly figure ballooned to $6.53 billion—partly due to the large amount of truck freight that passes through the Midwest.
The study, which looked at traffic conditions in 494 urban areas, also concluded that more congestion is occurring at periods beyond what is traditionally considered “rush hour.” Report author Bill Eisele told the 'Chicago Tribune' that a third of the area’s delays happened outside the peak morning and afternoon commuting times.