(KRON) -- San Francisco commuters lost 112 hours to traffic in 2025, ranking the city third in the United States for traffic congestion, according to a new study from navigation and GPS company TomTom. The study, which analyzed nearly 500 cities worldwide, revealed that Los Angeles ranked first, fo llowed by Honolulu, with San Francisco taking the third spot ahead of New York City. This congestion resulted in commuters losing approximately 14 workdays, amounting to two full weeks spent in traffic. Mike Larkin, a San Francisco commuter, expressed his disbelief: "I believe it. I drive for work every day so I'm a guilty party," he said, noting that traffic conditions seem to be worsening. Larkin has adjusted his schedule to avoid peak times, stating, "I'll get up really early and get across the city very early so about twenty minutes." Public Policy Senior Vice President Emily Loper at the Bay Area Council highlighted the broader trend in commuting patterns. "This increase in traffic congestion is consistent with data we have been collecting from major employers," Loper explained. Traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza on August 24, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) She mentioned that more employers are mandating workers to return to the office more days per week. Loper emphasized the need for improved public transportation: "We know when traffic is bad, commuters will shift to public transit and we need to make sure transit is reliable and safe and clean and an attractive alternative than sitting in traffic." Rick Yuen, another commuter, stated that recent years have seen increased congestion. "I would say the last two years has gotten really busy. I go downtown quite a bit and I walk a lot so I have been seeing more traffic," he said. Yuen also shared his strategies for dealing with congestion, saying he leaves early to avoid crowds: "In the morning, if I want to get from here to Van Ness down to the Embarcadero, I leave maybe around 6:30 to miss the crowds on the Muni." Yuen believes that despite the challenges, there are merits to the increased activity: "We need more commerce, we need more business." As traffic congestion continues to challenge San Francisco commuters, local officials emphasize the importance of ongoing improvements in public transit to encourage a shift away from car dependency. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published. ...read more read less