Mar 5, 2026 - News

Richmond drivers lost 40 hours to traffic in 2025

Illustration of a line of cars forming a spiral. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Richmond drivers wasted a staggering 40 hours on average stuck in rush-hour traffic last year, per the TomTom Traffic Index.

Why it matters: That's a full work week staring at somebody else's license plate, tail lights and — if you're lucky — quippy bumper stickers.

By the numbers: Those 40 hours translate into one day plus 17 hours for Richmond commuters.

And it's a whopping nine hours longer than locals spent in rush hour in 2024.
During rush hour in RVA, drivers' average speed dropped to 25 mph, TomTom found.

The intrigue: Evening rush-hour traffic tends to be significantly worse. It takes drivers nearly five minutes longer to go 7.5 miles after work than it does in the mornings (19 mins. vs. 15 mins).

Yes, but: It could be worse. Drivers in New York spent an average of 125 hours in rush-hour traffic and San Francisco residents, 116 hours.

Honolulu (88), Boston (86) and L.A. (83) round out the top five cities that spent soul-sucking time bumper-to-bumper in 2025.

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Richmond drivers lost 40 hours to traffic in 2025

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