New Yorkers spend at least 236 HOURS in traffic each year as the top 10 worst cities for congestion are revealed – with one surprising entry

New Yorkers can only dream of the thrill of the open road, as a new study shows they spend a greater portion of their lives in traffic than drivers anywhere else in the US.

The Big Apple has once again topped the list of worst places to drive, with the average commuter spending an average of 236 hours a year drumming their fingers in rush hour traffic.

But further down the list the situation isn't much better: DC drivers clock 196 hours and those in San Francisco clock 184 hours.

And analysts from traffic app company getcircuit.com also collected data on accidents, gas prices, traffic congestion and rush hour traffic to conclude that Empire City tops the list of the worst cities to drive in general.

“Life in a bustling city has a rhythm,” a spokesperson said, “but when rush hour arrives, this buzzing energy often worsens as drivers encounter traffic bottlenecks, honking horns and frustrating delays.”

Things aren't much better in the nation's capital, where the rat race lasts 196 hours

Analysts from traffic app company getcircuit.com also collected data on accidents, gas prices, traffic congestion and rush hours to calculate which cities are the worst to drive in.

Chicago, LA and Boston are fender-to-fender behind New York in the worst-driving cities rankings, but there's a surprise entry at number seven in the form of Honolulu, where high gas prices mean drivers have to pay an extra $126 a year issue due to delays.

New York has been widening its unwanted lead since last year, and the findings were released just hours after New York's Traffic Mobility Review Board released its congestion pricing plan, which could see drivers hit additional fees of up to $36.

Drivers of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks would have to pay $15 a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street.

Small trucks are charged $24, commercial trucks are charged $36 and motorcycles are charged $7.50.

Taxi drivers, who largely oppose congestion pricing, will add $1.25 to their fares and app drivers, such as Uber and Lyft, will share $2.50 per trip.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has defended the congestion pricing plans

“Ultimately, it is passengers – not drivers – who make the choice to increase traffic congestion, despite easily accessible public transportation to and within the Central Business District,” the Board of Directors said in their proposal.

'For these reasons, the congestion toll must be passed on to the customer as part of the passenger fare.'

The plan, first proposed in 2007, will launch in the spring of next year and is expected to generate $1 billion for the MTA to spend on mass transit.

And a study published last year predicted that the fee would reduce the number of cars entering Manhattan by 15 to 20 percent.

“Congestion pricing will reduce traffic in our busy downtown, improve air quality and provide critical resources to the MTA,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

But it has drawn angry opposition from taxi drivers who protested outside its office last month demanding to be exempt from the charges.

“The MTA will collapse the yellow cab industry unless the governor takes immediate action,” said Bhairavi Desai, the founder of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

The charge would apply 24 hours a day to drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street

The charge would apply 24 hours a day, but would be reduced by 75 percent between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays, and between 9 p.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends.

There would also be a $5 discount for drivers entering the zone from toll tunnels, including those from neighboring New Jersey.

The Garden State doesn't have a single entry in the top 80 worst driving cities, according to the latest survey, and Governor Phil Murphy has angrily accused his neighbor of trying to push the problem away.

“The cost of standing idly by while the MTA uses New Jerseyans to balance budgets is more than economic,” he said.

“As the MTA itself admits, the toll program would divert traffic and shift pollution to many vulnerable New Jersey communities, harming air quality, while offering nothing to mitigate such significant harm.”