- U.S. Signals Scorecard measured and ranked performance of over 240,000 signalized intersections, representing about three-quarters of all signals in the country
- The average driver passed through nearly five traffic signals per trip and spent 10% of their journey delayed by traffic signals
- The busiest hour nationally was Thursday, 4:30-5:30pm, with over 430 million estimated total crossings in the peak hour
- If achieved nationwide, a one second improvement in delay per vehicle would eliminate more than 1.5 million metric tons of CO2, saving 3.9 million barrels of oil annually
KIRKLAND, Wash – April 13, 2022 – INRIX, Inc., a world leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, today published the U.S. Signals Scorecard that measured and ranked performance of over 240,000 signalized intersections. On average, drivers spent more than 18 seconds sitting at each traffic signal, resulting in nearly 8.65 billion hours spent annually and, more importantly, nearly 28 million metric tons of CO2 emitted.
Leveraging INRIX IQ Signal Analytics, the U.S. Signals Scorecard is one of the most comprehensive reports to date with measurement of an estimated three-quarters of all signals in the United States, with analysis on the national, state, county, metropolitan area, and intersection levels. The Scorecard is augmented by an online national map showing all intersections analyzed and, when clicked, daily average and peak demand hour metrics.
The Signals Scorecard revealed that signalized intersections play a large part of the journey and associated carbon emissions. Analysis found that the average driver passed through nearly five traffic signals per trip and spent 10% of their trip delayed by traffic signals, leading to an increase of total delay by 24% over last year.
“Idling at signals results in lost time, fuel wasted, and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “The Signals Scorecard provides a national benchmark of signalized intersections, allowing cities and road authorities to identify problem areas and reduce carbon emissions immediately, without waiting years from now.”
Signals in the Top 25 Metro Areas
The below table summarizes the results for the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The nature of the road networks (signal density, demand, etc.) vary widely and has a direct impact in signal performance. Delay per vehicle ranged from 14.9 seconds in the Minneapolis/St. Paul to 24.9 seconds in Miami-Dade, while total hours of daily delay per signal ranged from 72 hours in the Cleveland area to nearly 210 hours in Miami. Daily carbon and fuel use impacts from delay range from 480 metric tons of CO2 and roughly 1,250 barrels of oil in the Portland, Oregon area to more than 7,000 metric tons and 18,300 barrels in the Los Angeles area.
| Urban Area | Delay per Vehicle (Sec) | Total Delay per Signal (Hours) | CO2 from Delay (Tonnes) | Oil from Delay (Barrels) |
| Miami, FL | 24.9 | 209.2 | 1,924 | 5,011 |
| New York, NY | 23.1 | 74 | 3,593 | 9,357 |
| Boston, MA | 22.2 | 105.5 | 1,080 | 2,812 |
| Houston, TX | 21.3 | 118.1 | 2,016 | 5,250 |
| Atlanta, GA | 21 | 172.6 | 1,830 | 4,767 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 20 | 127.7 | 7,030 | 18,311 |
| San Diego, CA | 20 | 102.9 | 906 | 2,360 |
| San Francisco, CA | 20 | 82.5 | 1,922 | 5,006 |
| Baltimore, MD | 19.9 | 108.3 | 931 | 2,424 |
| Seattle, WA | 19.7 | 95.1 | 1,057 | 2,754 |
| Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX | 19.6 | 108.7 | 2,081 | 5,420 |
| Washington, D.C. | 19.5 | 119.6 | 1,878 | 4,893 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 19 | 92.9 | 1,656 | 4,314 |
| Newark, NJ | 18.9 | 93.8 | 1,773 | 4,618 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 18.5 | 146 | 1,913 | 4,983 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 18.5 | 76.5 | 548 | 1,428 |
| Chicago, IL | 18.2 | 108.7 | 2,766 | 7,205 |
| Portland, OR | 17.3 | 73.7 | 483 | 1,257 |
| Cleveland, OH | 16.8 | 72.6 | 495 | 1,288 |
| Cincinnati, OH | 16 | 80.9 | 702 | 1,830 |
| Denver, CO | 15.9 | 90.5 | 1,106 | 2,881 |
| Kansas City, MO | 15.5 | 77.5 | 493 | 1,285 |
| St. Louis, MO | 15.3 | 93.4 | 692 | 1,802 |
| Detroit, MI | 15.2 | 81.4 | 1,329 | 3,462 |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 14.9 | 56.7 | 488 | 1,271 |
While all delay can’t be eliminated, reducing excess delay has a direct impact on the creation of greenhouse gases and fuel consumption. If a one second improvement in delay per vehicle is achieved nationwide, more than 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 would be eliminated, saving 3.9 million barrels of oil annually.
The Top 10 Intersections by Peak Demand Delay
For the week analyzed, the intersection of West Southern Ave & South Alma School Rd (Mesa, AZ), ranked first in total daily delay, drivers sat at the intersection for 126 seconds during peak hour demand, followed by SW Baya Dr & SW Main Blvd (Lake City, FL) with nearly 112 seconds of delay. Florida and Texas each had three intersections ranked in the top 10.
| Rank | Intersection | City, State | Peak Demand Hour | Peak Hour Delay per Vehicle (Secs) |
| 1 | W Southern Ave & S Alma School Rd | Mesa, AZ | Tue, 4:00 – 5:00 PM | 126.5 |
| 2 | SW Baya Dr & SW Main Blvd | Lake City, FL | Thu, 3:30 – 4:30 PM | 111.9 |
| 3 | Bayway Circle & US 1/US 9 | Elizabeth, NJ | Mon, 4:45 – 5:45 PM | 108.2 |
| 4 | Lamar Ave & SE Loop 286 | Paris, TX | Wed, 5:00 – 6:00 PM | 107.5 |
| 5 | Trapp Ct & Alexandria Pike | Alexandria, KY | Tue, 4:30 – 5:30 PM | 105.5 |
| 6 | Crystal Lake Dr & Bartow Rd | Lakeland, FL | Fri, 4:15 – 5:15 PM | 105.4 |
| 7 | Hufsmith Rd & Kuykendahl Rd | Tomball, TX | Fri, 4:45 – 5:45 PM | 105.1 |
| 8 | North Town East Blvd & LBJ Fwy | Mesquite, TX | Fri, 11:00 – 12:00 PM | 103.6 |
| 9 | American Ln & N Meacham Rd | Schaumburg, IL | Fri, 4:30 – 5:30 PM | 102.0 |
| 10 | Granada Blvd & Apopka Vineland Rd | Doctor Phillips, FL | Thu, 4:15 – 5:15 PM | 100.2 |
The U.S. Signals Scorecard comes at a time when the country’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allows for massive investment in ways to reduce oil consumption, increase safety and lower carbon emissions. City, County, Regional Planners, and State Departments of Transportation are investing in technologies that bring immediate and quantifiable benefits to meet key climate and safety targets.
The key findings of the U.S. Signals Scorecard provide a quantifiable benchmark for governments and cities to measure and improve urban mobility, while also identifying the associated carbon emissions due to vehicle delay.
Please visit www.inrix.com/signals-scorecard/ for:
- Full U.S. Signals Scorecard report
- Online national map showing all intersections analyzed and key metrics
- Complete methodology
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About INRIX
Founded in 2004, INRIX pioneered intelligent mobility solutions by transforming big data from connected devices and vehicles into mobility insights. This revolutionary approach enabled INRIX to become one of the leading providers of data and analytics into how people move. By empowering cities, businesses and people with valuable insights, INRIX is helping to make the world smarter, safer, and greener. With partners and solutions spanning across the entire mobility ecosystem, INRIX is uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and transportation – whether its keeping road users safe, improving traffic signal timing to reduce delay and greenhouse gasses, optimizing last mile delivery, or helping uncover market insightsLearn more at INRIX.com.
