Philadelphia was ranked America’s worst city to drive in, according to a recent WalletHub study, with residents experiencing long commute times and poor road conditions.
The study focused on four key factors to qualify a city’s driving conditions as “good”: traffic and infrastructure, cost of ownership, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance.
Philadelphia was ranked near the bottom in traffic congestion and long commutes. Limited parking and poor road conditions, including potholes in highly congested areas, add to the problem. Philadelphia also has higher prices for vehicle maintenance, insurance, and gas compared to other cities.
Many students dread driving in the city.
“[The] traffic is really bad,” Fifth Former Jack Macziewski said. “The other thing that makes it hard is that the people [drivers] are crazy. They are easily irritated, creating a harsh, impatient learning environment.”
Not just students are affected by Philadelphia’s frustrated drivers. Upper school English teacher Dr. Del Rosario commonly encounters similar frustrations during his daily commute from West Philadelphia.
“People often use the left-turning lane after approaching an intersection and cut in front of the people going straight,” Dr. Del Rosario said.
Subpar infrastructure in the city makes driving a difficult task.
“There are a lot of potholes and little parking,” Macziewski said.
“It sometimes feels as if my car is getting beaten up,” Dr. Del Rosario added.
Complications from the lack of investment in infrastructure stand in the way of improvements.
Ethan Diamond ’21, now a master’s student in urban planning at New York University, explains that public transportation systems are deeply tied to the traffic problem.
Diamond said, “The lack of a more cohesive public transportation system in the City of Philadelphia could have been a factor of traffic congestion. Simply put, it is extremely difficult for anybody to plan on a long-term planning horizon when an agency has to move from funding crisis to funding crisis.”
“These issues are not necessarily unique to older East Coast cities. The difference is that in older East Coast cities, there are still legacy public transportation systems that have, for the most part, seen significant divestment.” – Ethan Diamond ’21
Diamond, however, doesn’t believe the city deserves this title, explaining, “It is not a problem unique to the City of Philadelphia.”
Similar problems are seen across the entire country. It can often be difficult to make large-scale improvements due to population density, limited space, and other factors.
“These issues are not necessarily unique to older East Coast cities,” Diamond said. “The difference is that in older East Coast cities, there are still legacy public transportation systems that have, for the most part, seen significant divestment.”
The Haverford community is familiar with the daily frustrations that come with driving around Philadelphia.
For many upper schoolers learning to drive, the conditions can feel hostile. The city must address many issues, from simple improvements in traffic enforcement to large-scale developments and projects, but the problems facing Philly drivers are difficult to fix and will likely persist for the foreseeable future.