Seattle drivers face growing traffic woes

• A 19% drop in telecommuting from 2022 to 2023 signals a continued shift away from remote work, fueled by policies like Amazon's return-to-office mandate, according to Kirkland-based Inrix, a transportation data company.

By the numbers: Seattle-Everett-Bellevue drivers saw a 9% increase in time lost to traffic in 2024, according to the analysis of nearly 1,000 cities across 37 countries.

• Peak-time Seattle-area drivers lost 58 hours in 2023 and 46 hours in 2022 to congestion, per Inrix.

Yes, but: A Consumer Affairs report from September that looked at congestion, travel times and fatal crashes determined Seattle has the second-worst congestion and the third-worst traffic among 49 major U.S. metros.

The big picture: Americans saw an average of 43 hours in lost productivity to traffic in 2024 at an estimated cost of $771 per driver, Inrix reports.

• New York City and Chicago topped U.S. congestion rankings with 102 hours lost per driver, followed by Los Angeles (88 hours) and Boston (79 hours).

• Trips into urban cores rose sharply, with downtown Seattle seeing a noticeable uptick, said Inrix spokesman Mark Burfeind.
• National trends also point to a resurgence in weekend leisure trips, which increased by 9% year over year, per the report.

What's next: As telecommuting continues to decline and Seattle's population grows, experts say city leaders will face mounting pressure to address transportation challenges and invest in transit solutions.