When you think of Florida, images of a laid-back, vacation lifestyle come to mind. But did you know that traffic can be a major issue in Florida? In fact, Miami has been ranked as the 10th most congested city in the entire United States! To make matters worse, the influx of tourists and retirees on the road exacerbates the problem. Plus, public transportation is not that great in Florida, so most people end up driving. Below, we will take a closer look at Florida’s traffic issues, we have compiled a list of the top 5 most congested cities in Florida, based on TomTom’s Traffic rankings.
Florida Cities with the Most Traffic
1. Miami
Miami is notorious for its traffic congestion. In fact, it has been ranked as the 10th most congested city in the US, just behind Los Angeles. The average travel time for 6 miles in Miami is a staggering 14 minutes and 29 seconds, which is equivalent to the time it takes in LA!
Rush hour in Miami is a nightmare, with drivers losing an average of 64 hours every year just sitting in traffic. To make matters worse, the average speed during rush hour in Miami is only 20 miles per hour. To make matters worse, the city’s inadequate public transportation system forces most people to drive.
2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers
The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area is the second most congested place in Florida. It’s ranked #24 in the list of places with the highest traffic cities in America! Despite being smaller than big cities like Houston and Atlanta, traffic is even heavier here.
It takes an average of 12 minutes and 13 seconds to drive just 6 miles in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, which is the same as in Houston and Atlanta! Unfortunately, residents lose around 33 hours each year sitting in rush hour traffic. During rush hour, the average speed is just 27 mph, which makes commuting frustrating.
3. Tampa
Tampa is the 3rd most congested city in Florida. It’s ranked # 30 most congested city in America. Surprisingly, it’s even more congested than the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
On average, it takes 11 minutes and 25 seconds to drive just 6 miles in Tampa. Rush hour traffic is the worst, with an average speed of only 24 miles per hour. Tampa residents waste a total of 49 hours every year sitting in their cars during rush hour traffic.
4. Orlando
Orlando comes in as the 4th most congested city in Florida. In fact, it’s ranked #49 out of all the cities in the United States for traffic congestion. Surprisingly, it’s even more congested than San Antonio, TX!
If you live in Orlando, you can expect to spend about 29 hours of your life stuck in rush hour traffic. On average, it takes about 10 minutes and 8 seconds to drive just 6 miles in the city. And during peak traffic hours, the average speed on the roads is only 30 mph.
5. Jacksonville
Jacksonville is another Florida city that struggles with traffic congestion. It ranks #5 in the list of most congested cities in Florida and #72 in America. Surprisingly, it has worse traffic than Detroit!
The average time that Jacksonville residents waste per year sitting in rush hour traffic is 23 hours! On average, it takes 9 minutes to drive 6 miles in this city, and the average speed of traffic is only 34 miles per hour during rush hour.
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