Miami traffic is up and it’s costing you money

Miami drivers were stuck in traffic last year for dozens of hours longer than in 2021, according to a new report from transportation analytics firm INRIX.

Why it matters: These delays are estimated to cost Miami drivers more than $1,770 each, and the city as a whole $5.5 billion, the analysis of traffic and economic data found.

The big picture: Miami is ranked the fifth-most congested urban area in the U.S. — and ninth in the world, according to INRIX’s 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard published yesterday.

• Traffic congestion is worse in Chicago, Boston, New York and Philadelphia, in that order.
• Globally, London, Paris, Bogota and Toronto are all more congested than Miami.

By the numbers: Miami drivers spent 105 hours in traffic in 2022.

• That was up from 66 hours in 2021, when pandemic-driven trends like remote work and flexible work hours led to fewer cars on the road during traditional peak hours across the country.

What they’re saying: “I hate to say traffic congestion is welcome. But it does signify a little bit that ‘return to normal’ that most of us were used to,” Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, told the Washington Post.