COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Motorists traveling through Ohio cities reach one of the lowest average urban driving speeds in the country, according to a recent study.
The price comparison platform MoneySuperMarket examined urban driving speeds across all 50 states by using Google Routes API, a service that provides comprehensive, real-time traffic information.
To calculate the average urban driving speeds, the company analyzed how fast motorists drove through two of each states’ most populated city centers that were at least 50 km apart. Researchers plotted a point 5 km outside of a city to 5 km beyond it, in two different directions. The spots were tested multiple times on both Mondays and Saturdays during different time frames.
The study, released this month, ranked Ohio as the state with the fifth-lowest average urban driving speed in the country. Motorists in the Buckeye State travel an average of 21.4 mph through cities, the analysis found.
“New York also ranks among the slowest, alongside Ohio, Colorado, Michigan and Maryland – all states which feature high density cities with significant congestion while poor weather conditions and outdated infrastructure may also contribute to difficult driving,” the report said.
Massachusetts had the slowest average driving speed in cities, at 19.6 mph. The completed top 10 included Maryland with an average speed of 20.6 mph (No. 2), Michigan at 20.9 mph (No. 3), Colorado at 21.2 mph (No. 4), New York at 21.5 mph (No. 6), Indiana at 21.6 mph (No. 7), Nevada at 21.6 mph (No. 8), Oregon at 21.6 mph (No. 9) and Connecticut at 21.9 mph (No. 10).
The states with the highest average urban driving speed were Alaska, with an average speed of 30.1 mph, followed by Alabama (30.1 mph), Nebraska (29.7), Arkansas (28 mph), Missouri (27.8 mph), Rhode Island (27.8 mph), Delaware (27.6 mph), Florida (27.4 mph), New Hampshire (27.2 mph) and Vermont (27.2 mph).
Many states that reach faster urban speeds feature mid-sized cities, which are likely to handle traffic more efficiently than larger equivalents in other states, according to the study.
