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WalletHub: Chicago Rated Fourth Worst City for Driving in the U.S.
Chicago is the fourth-worst city for driving in the good old U.S. of A., according to the most-recent WalletHub report.
Our fair city is 100th in terms of average gasoline prices and a solid 99th in “ownership and maintenance costs” among the 100 most-populated cities in the United States. Chicago is 97th in traffic conditions and infrastructure quality.
The personal-finance website took an in-depth look at 2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Driving, aiming to identify the most driver-friendly cities in the U.S. and, conversely, the least driver-friendly cities. Its data ranges from average gas prices to average annual hours of traffic delays to number of auto-repair shops per capita.
Since many of us in Kane County drive into Chicago on a regular basis, we thought we’d share this quick recap of the best and worst:
Best Cities for Driving | Worst Cities for Driving | |||
1 | Scottsdale, AZ | 91 | Boston, MA | |
2 | Tucson, AZ | 92 | Seattle, WA | |
3 | Corpus Christi, TX | 93 | New York, NY | |
4 | Gilbert, AZ | 94 | Oakland, CA | |
5 | Mesa, AZ | 95 | Baltimore, MD | |
6 | Chandler, AZ | 96 | Philadelphia, PA | |
7 | Reno, NV | 97 | Chicago, IL | |
8 | Laredo, TX | 98 | San Francisco, CA | |
9 | Las Vegas, NV | 99 | Detroit, MI | |
10 | Tampa, FL | 100 | Washington, DC |
The good news? We can take solace in the fact that Washington, Detroit and San Francisco are even worse than we are. Also, Chicago was ranked 15th in auto safety!
WalletHub’s Explanation
Unless you have access to public transportation or live within walking distance to all the places you need to go, commuting by car is both necessary and expensive. Each year, those who drive spend an average of about 200 hours on the road — plus another 41 hours in gridlock. For a full-time worker, 241 hours is the equivalent of a six-week vacation.
Add up the costs of wasted time and fuel due to traffic congestion, and our collective tab comes to about $124 billion annually, or $1,700 per household. That figure doesn’t even include the additional $515 expense for maintenance and repairs, which many of us are likely to spend given the poor quality of America’s roads — currently ranking No. 14 out of 140 economically developed nations, according to the World Economic Forum, and graded “D” by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Methodology
In order to identify the best and worst cities for drivers, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: 1) Ownership & Maintenance Costs, 2) Traffic Conditions & Infrastructure Quality, 3) Auto Safety and 4) Auto Availability & Maintenance Accessibility. With regard to WalletHub’s sample, please note that “city” refers to city proper and excludes surrounding metro areas.
If you’d like to learn more, here’s a link to the methodology, charts and “Ask the Experts” page.
SOURCE: WalletHub.com