How is seattle traffic

A new study confirms what frustrated Seattle-area commuters already know: Traffic congestion in the Emerald City is terrible. As the region has grown, so has traffic congestion. That number crept up every year, plateaued at 62 hours between and , then started climbing again. But take heart, Seattle: It could be worse. The ever-expanding time commuters are sitting in their cars has a cost, both in delay time and wasted fuel. Downtown Seattle endures world-class slowdowns at 11 mph, reflecting stop-and-go trips in freeway funnels such as Howell Street or Fifth Avenue.

INRIX last year reported delays of hours a year for people who traveled at the most-congested time of day. But that number focused on the worst commutes, such as Everett to Seattle. INRIX added ratings for transit and bicycling. Though Seattle ranks sixth in big-city transit ridership per capita, the region ranks as red, meaning most drivers would spend twice much time commuting if they traveled by bus or train.

The gridlocked cities of Boston and Washington, D. Regional and Amtrak commute trains go 45 miles from Providence, R. Seattle rated red for bicycling, and bike-friendly Portland only yellow, due to difficult rides between suburbs. Multiple employment centers are a smart alternative to gridlock, Reed said. He praised the Spring District, between downtown Bellevue and Overlake, where apartments and office campuses are being built to match the completion of two Sound Transit light-rail stations.

Jump to historical traffic data. See city rank and full-year historical traffic data. Major delay. Live traffic. Current weather. Local time AM. Daily and weekly congestion level Average congestion. Average congestion levels for each day and each week in Daily and weekly congestion levels are weighted averages derived from hourly data. Each week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday.

Full-year historical traffic data Created to help you tackle traffic — as a driver, city planner, automaker or policy maker — the TomTom Traffic Index provides detailed insights on road congestion levels in cities around the world.