Seattle traffic got worse last year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Traffic in Seattle. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images
You're not imagining things if it feels like driving in Seattle is getting worse and the windows to avoid traffic are shrinking.
Why it matters: Traffic congestion not only wastes time, money and fuel, it can also raise stress and impact mental and physical health.
- Blood pressure can go up just from sitting in traffic — not from aggravation, but from the air pollution inhaled.
The big picture: Peak-time drivers in the Seattle-Everett-Bellevue area lost 58 hours to congestion in 2023, up from 46 hours in 2022, according to the annual Global Traffic Scorecard from Kirkland-based Inrix, released this week.
What they did: The report uses data from 300 million vehicles and devices globally to analyze metrics including delays, speeds at peak times versus low-traffic periods, and the time it takes to get to and from major employment centers.
State of play: Inrix reported that Seattle has the 10th-worst traffic delays in the U.S. and the 27th-worst in the world among 947 urban areas analyzed.
Yes, but: Seattle traffic is still below pre-COVID levels, down 11% from 2019.
- The region's relatively high percentage of remote and hybrid workers means it's taken a bit longer in some cases to get workers back into their offices, but they're getting back on the roads now, study author Bob Pishue told the Seattle Times.
Zoom out: The typical U.S. driver lost 42 hours to traffic last year, the equivalent of a full-time work week, per the report.
- Congestion cost the U.S. more than $70.4 billion in lost productivity last year, a 15% increase from 2022, per the report.
- Transit ridership is down 28% from 2019 levels, the analysis found.
What they're saying: "I feel like every morning or when I'm coming home, it gets a bit more crowded," South King County commuter Anthony Martinez told KIRO 7.
The intrigue: Pishue told Axios that driving commute patterns have shifted toward a new normal with a midday peak between 10am and 2pm that has surpassed the morning commute in terms of volume.