Traffic is coming back to downtowns across America

Downtown traffic congestion in major U.S. cities has risen significantly since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but remains short of pre-outbreak levels, per a new analysis.

Why it matters: The pandemic has been an opportunity for cities to rethink their approach to car traffic.

• New York City, for instance, is moving forward with "congestion pricing" — essentially tolling downtown-bound drivers — to reduce the number of cars on the road.

Details: Traffic congestion — as measured by the amount of time vehicles spend in traffic compared to the time such travel would take in free-flow conditions — is down about 27% across major U.S. cities' downtowns compared to pre-pandemic levels, per research from traffic data firm StreetLight.

• Downtown congestion is closest to its pre-pandemic levels in San Diego, Phoenix and Houston.
• It's furthest from these levels in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Jose.

The big picture: The resurgence in downtown traffic "may signal good news for the economy, but it's bad news for overall emissions and quality of life as traffic congestion makes a comeback across America," reads StreetLight's report.