Austin has some of the worst traffic congestion in the world, study finds

Austin was ranked as having some of the worst traffic congestion problems in the world this past year, according to navigation provider company TomTom. 

TomTom conducted a global index study measuring 2018 traffic in 403 cities across the globe. The index ranked Austin No. 19 in the U.S. for most congested traffic, and No. 179 globally.

Austin was also ranked above every other city in Texas for having the worst traffic congestion. 

According to the index, drivers in Austin will have their travel time increase by an average of 25% due to traffic congestion. The worst time to be on the road are weekday evenings from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., where travel times can be an average of 63% longer. 

TomTom found no change in the level of traffic congestion throughout Austin since their study conducted in 2017. 

Other Texas cities on the list were Houston (No. 23 nationally, No. 204 globally), Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 44 nationally, No. 299 globally) and San Antonio (No. 54 nationally, No. 321 globally). The most congested city in the U.S. was Los Angeles, CA.

According to TomTom, the index was created to help drivers, city planners, auto manufacturers and policy makers with information about traffic.