In news that will surprise few commuters on Oahu, an online finance site this week rated Honolulu as one of the 10 worst cities in the U.S. for car drivers.
NerdWallet.com considered how many hours drivers find themselves stuck in traffic, how much they pay for gasoline and how densely populated their cities are to arrive at its list of the 10 least driver-friendly cities, released Sunday.
Honolulu ranked eighth. Drivers here are delayed 45 hours a year, pay up to 17.23 percent more for gas than the national average and contend with a population density of more than 5,500 people per square mile.
New York City was the worst, even though only 28 percent of New Yorkers drive, NerdWallet found. Drivers there are delayed 59 hours each year, pay up to 7.67 percent more for gas than the national average and cope with 27,000 people living per square mile.
Second worst on NerdWallet’s list was Chicago, where strict environmental regulations sometimes drive the cost of gas to 30 percent above the national average, the site found.
Next on the list, in order, were San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Oakland, Calif.
Portland, Ore., and Philadelphia came in ninth and 10th after Honolulu.
NerdWallet used data from annual traffic and cost-of-living studies and the 2010 census.
NerdWallet, which provides tools to assist readers with personal finance, also looked at the best cities for drivers. Topping that list was Raleigh, N.C., followed by Bakersfield, Calif.; Wichita, Kan.; Kansas City, Mo.; Tulsa, Okla.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Omaha, Neb.; El Paso, Texas; Colorado Springs, Col.; and Fresno, Calif.
