Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco ranked among the nation’s most congested cities, while New York reduced traffic and increased transit speed and ridership thanks to its congestion pricing program.
According to research from TomTom, “New policies are reshaping traffic patterns in major cities; work-from-home norms continue to stretch and redistribute the traditional rush hour, and climate-driven disasters are increasingly testing the reliability of road networks.”
As Dan Zukowski notes in Smart Citi…
Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco ranked among the nation’s most congested cities, while New York reduced traffic and increased transit speed and ridership thanks to its congestion pricing program.
According to research from TomTom, “New policies are reshaping traffic patterns in major cities; work-from-home norms continue to stretch and redistribute the traditional rush hour, and climate-driven disasters are increasingly testing the reliability of road networks.”
As Dan Zukowski notes in Smart Cities Dive, “Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco and New York City ranked as the U.S. cities with the highest congestion levels in 2025.” However, traffic into and out of New York is moving faster thanks to congestion pricing, and transit ridership grew by 9 percent on the city’s subways through September of last year.
Los Angeles ranks as the nation’s most congested city, where “drivers crawl at average speeds under 20 mph during morning and evening rush hours.” Meanwhile, Texas cities like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio continue their car-centric growth, expanding freeways and toll roads.
FULL STORY: Remote work, extreme weather reshaping urban traffic patterns, report finds
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 in Smart Cities Dive
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
January 21, 2026 - Diana Ionescu