The coronavirus pandemic has had at least one positive outcome in the Los Angeles area: The region is no longer home to the nation’s worst vehicular traffic, according to a report.
The new title holder is the New York City-Newark, New Jersey, region, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
And L.A. didn’t even finish second, the institute’s report says. The area finished tied for fourth place, with the San Francisco-Oakland area, behind New York City-Newark, Boston and Houston.
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U.S. metro areas were ranked by how many total hours drivers were delayed over the course of 2020. New York City/Newark drivers were delayed 56 hours, followed by Boston (50), Houston (49) and the two California regions (both 46), the study, titled the 2021 Urban Mobility Report, said.
The L.A. area had been regarded as the nation’s worst for roadway-clogging traffic for the past three decades, the institute reported, according to USA Today.
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But California’s coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders, companies pitching in with more flexible work schedules and the L.A. area’s generally reliable internet connections helped keep workers at home and off the freeways, report co-author David Schrank said in a statement, according to the newspaper.
Traffic across the U.S. started to climb again last September, and California recent re-opening means the Los Angeles area has a good chance to regain the top spot by the time the 2021 report is prepared, USA Today reported.