Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-nominated musical “La La Land” starts off on a realistic note: at a standstill traffic jam on a Los Angeles freeway.
Los Angeles residents suffer through the worst gridlock in the world, a study by roadway transportation analysis firm INRIX said this week. Angelenos spent an average of 104 hours in peak-hour congestion last year, beating out last year’s winner (or loser), Moscow, where residents spent 91 hours in traffic jams. The car-loving USA had an outsized presence on the list. New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami also made it into the top 10. Inrix analyzed 1,064 cities in 38 countries.
Around the world, governments are trying to find ways to limit vehicular congestion and the resulting smog. Paris, which ranked ninth, has tried offering residents free parking and has promised to get rid of diesel-fueled vehicles by 2025. There is no quick fix. Commuters have found workarounds to schemes such as that in Mexico City, which implemented a license plate-based scheme to keep cars off the road, such as owning more than one car.