Motorists in a Jam

Drivers who live in western states and Canadian provinces tend to spend more time in traffic than those in other parts of North America, according to the third annual Congestion Index compiled by navigation system maker TomTom, based in Amsterdam. The survey crowned Los Angeles as the most congested city in North America, where the average commuter spends 34 percent more time behind the wheel in traffic jams than when traffic is flowing freely - at whatever theoretical hour that may be. Research was conducted between July and September 2012 from the largest 57 North American metropolitan areas. Travel-time data was gleaned from TomTom GPS devices installed in cars traversing highways, city streets and arterial routes. Here’s a look at North America’s top-10 most congested cities, along with estimates of how much longer journeys take compared to times when traffic is flowing freely. 1. Los Angeles (34%) 2. Vancouver (34%) 3. San Francisco (33%) 4. Honolulu (31%) 5. Seattle (27%) 6. Toronto (26%) 7. New Orleans (25%) 8. San Jose (25%) 9. Montreal (24%) 10. Chicago (24%)