Colorado Springs ranks 91st out of America’s 100 most congested metro areas, the same ranking it had in 2008, according to a mid-year survey released Thursday.

During the first six months of 2009, the Los Angeles metro area had the worst congestion in the country, followed by the New York City area and Chicago. All three cities had the same ranking in 2008, according to statistics compiled by INRIX, a provider of traffic and navigation services.

The company’s national traffic scorecard found Daytona Beach, Fla., was the least congested of the 100 metro areas studied, followed by Lakeland Fla., and Modesto, Calif.

The congestion rankings are based only on travel during peak driving times — 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

Although Colorado Springs’ ranking in that category remained unchanged from 2008, the company did note the city had a worse showing in what it calls its travel time index, which basically compares the time it takes to drive during peak and off-peak periods. In that category, Colorado Springs ranked 48th among the 100 metro areas. In 2008, it ranked better at 63rd. The study did not examine specific reasons for that change.

Overall, the company said its data showed a 30 percent drop in congestion in the top 100 metro areas in late 2007 and early 2008. It attributed that to the economic downturn and higher unemployment rates and the spike in gasoline and the resulting drop in discretionary travel. The company said it does not anticipate further declines in congestion.

Scott and Sheila Osborne recently co-founded a Christian themed greeting card company. They are photographed in their home on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009 with some examples of their work. Photo by Bryan Oller, The Gazette

BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE