SF traffic ranks as 4th worst in world

When San Franciscans proudly describe their city as world class, traffic congestion can now be part of the conversation.

San Francisco, with most of the rest of the Bay Area, is the fourth-most-congested metropolitan area in the world, and third worst in the United States, according to a new survey.

The Bay Area, with its bridges, tunnels, bay and hills, and tendency for people to live somewhere other than where they work, always ranks among the nation’s most traffic-tangled metropolises. But this survey places San Francisco near the top of 1,064 cities in 38 countries. It ranks behind Los Angeles, Moscow and New York and just ahead of Bogota, Colombia, for the world’s worst traffic. Sao Paolo, London, Atlanta, Paris and Miami round out the Top 10.

The survey was conducted by Inrix, a Seattle company that provides traffic information worldwide. It releases congestion studies annually, calculating how much time drivers lose because of slow-moving traffic.

Bay Area transportation advocates say the study is more than an interesting collection of numbers; it’s more evidence that congestion is hurting the region, and will slow the economy without both quick action and long-term plans.

S.F. traffic ranks as third worst in the U.S. and fourth worst in the world in a survey of metropolitan areas. S.F. traffic ranks as third worst in the U.S. and fourth worst in the world in a survey of metropolitan areas. Photo: Liz Hafalia / Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2016 Buy photo Photo: Liz Hafalia / Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2016 Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close SF traffic ranks as 4th worst in world 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

“Congestion is having a dramatic impact on the quality of life in the Bay Area,” said Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council, a business lobbying group active in transportation issues. “We can see it beginning to take its toll on the economy.”

According to the study, drivers in the San Francisco area, which includes the inner East Bay, the Peninsula and the South Bay, wasted 83 hours sitting or creeping along in traffic in 2016. New Yorkers lost 89 hours behind the wheel last year, Moscow drivers 91 hours and those in Los Angeles 104 hours.

Last year’s survey, which used a different methodology, ranked San Francisco second in the nation, tied with Washington, but behind Los Angeles. Bay Area drivers in 2015 wasted 75 hours in traffic.

Congestion causes San Francisco-area drivers $1,996 a year per person in wasted time, Inrix concluded, compared with a national average of $1,400. But Bob Pishue, Inrix’s senior economist and study co-author, said San Francisco’s congestion during the morning and evening commutes is the worst in the nation, particularly on city streets.

Although traffic is a sign of a healthy economy, it can drive up prices of goods and services as it worsens, the survey said. In the Bay Area, Wunderman said, the long, slow commutes combined with the rising cost of housing are starting to drive away some job seekers and could have the same effect on employers.

“I hear anecdotally from companies all the time about problems with people getting to their jobs,” Wunderman said. “A lot of younger people are thinking twice about coming here because of the increasing cost of housing and the long commutes.”

The Inrix report recommends that congested regions, like the Bay Area, use its data to drive the discussion on transportation, such as determining where improvements should be made, and using technology to better manage traffic.

“We really want this to be the starting point,” Pishue said. “There is a lot of talk around the country, even in the Bay Area and state, about what to do about transportation. Hopefully this can help inform the discussion.”

The Bay Area can achieve short-term traffic relief, Wunderman said, by encouraging carpooling, possibly by limiting free parking to drivers who share their commutes, and by developing regional express-lane network that allows solo drivers to pay a toll to use carpool lanes. Regional express buses, an expanded ferry system and a coordination of transit, and ride services, like Lyft and Uber, could also help, he said.

In a separate report released last week, SPUR, a Bay Area urban planning think tank, said those kinds of improvements are needed on what it calls the Caltrain corridor, the overburdened transportation network connecting Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

Among the changes were a call for beefed-up Caltrain service with trains that would run more frequently and offer more capacity; the addition of express lanes and express buses on Highway 101; improved connections at better transit stations; and ferry service out of the Port of Redwood City. The SPUR report estimated it would take $16 billion to $21 billion to pay for it all.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan

Most-congested major world cities

1. Los Angeles

2. Moscow

3. New York

4. San Francisco

5. Bogota

6. Sao Paolo

7. London

8. Atlanta

9. Paris

10. Miami

Most-congested U.S. cities

1. Los Angeles

2. New York

3. San Francisco

4. Atlanta

5. Miami

Most-congested nations

1. Thailand

2. (tie) Colombia

2. (tie) Indonesia

4. (tie) United States

4. (tie) Russia

Source: Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard