Massachusetts has plenty of beautiful roads to drive on. Now is the perfect time to take a nice leisurely drive on some of the Bay State's beautiful backroads while taking in the foliage at its peak.

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Some Areas in Massachusetts Can be a Nightmare to Drive in Including One in Particular

While Massachusetts has plenty of roads you'll want to explore some areas are nightmares to drive in. Thinking about Massachusetts' three biggest cities, I haven't had much of an issue driving in Springfield or Worcester but Boston is not for me. I have driven in downtown Boston a few times and it was very stressful. Between the city's narrow streets, complex intersections, one-way streets, and aggressive drivers, Boston is probably one of the few areas I'll refuse to drive in again. Plus, I almost got in an accident the last time I was there.

Boston Didn't Fare Well for Driving in a Recent Study

I'm not the only person who feels driving in Boston is complicated and stressful. WalletHub recently released a study on the "Best and Worst Cities to Drive In." Out of 100 cities, Boston landed in the bottom 14 at #86. (I wouldn't have been surprised if it landed in the bottom five).

Here's the Breakdown of Boston's Scores According to WalletHub's Methodology

  • Total Score: 45.15
  • Cost of Ownership & Maintenance Rank: 68
  • Traffic & Infrastructure Rank: 76
  • Safety Rank: 84
  • Access to Vehicles & Maintenance Rank: 96

Compare Boston's Scores to Raliegh, NC (the best city to drive in according to WalletHub)

  • Total Score: 63.92
  • Cost of Ownership & Maintenance Rank: 2
  • Traffic & Infrastructure Rank: 33
  • Safety Rank: 22
  • Access to Vehicles & Maintenance Rank: 30

How Do Others Feel About Driving in Boston? 

There are a few comments I found on Quora that demonstrate what it's like driving in Boston. The question posed on the website was Why is Driving in Boston so Bad? Below are a few responses that answer the question and explain the driving experience in Boston.

  • "Yes, traffic in Boston is bad. If you start later than 5:45 AM then you are screwed. You can get into the city after rush hour at 11 AM but you better be on the road by 1 PM or you’re stuck getting out until 6 or 7."
  • "Not good but the streets are confusing for tourists."
  • "Yes. Absolutely. Bostonians drove much like they go ya-ya over spirts-brutal. Take no survivors! It’s like playing chicken every moment you’re on the road. Usually, a BMW & Mercedes lose out I drive aggressively & weave & swerve with the best of them. It’s truly terrible."
  • "It is awful. There is congestion everywhere. I spend a bit of time routinely in NYC and I think that it’s better in NYC. Why? Enforcement. If you block the grid in nyc ,you get a ticket and insurance points. Same with cell phones. In Boston, you can’t find a cop except on Rt3 and the turnpike."

Another response to the question that I particularly liked is the following:

The answer is more complex than this, but in a nutshell:

a) because the city layout is old and not designed for modern day vehicles.

b) Boston is a small city that operates like a big city.

The Big Dig was apparently supposed to help with the congestion, but I think it just made things congested in more places.

You can find more responses here.

You can see how all 100 cities ranked on WalletHub's study by going here. How do you feel about driving in Boston? Have you had some tough experiences driving in Massachusetts' biggest city?

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

Gallery Credit: Sarah Jones

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

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Stacker lists the must-do activities at every national park ranked by the annual number of visitors. 

Gallery Credit: Angela Underwood

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