If you commute using one of the 10 most clogged highways in the United States, you could ride a bicycle to work faster than you could drive, according to a new study that evaluates the countless hours drivers waste in gridlock on roadways each year.

By using GPS-equipped vehicles to record commuting experiences on the nation's roads, analysts studied traffic from a database containing approximately 100 million vehicles including taxis, airport shuttles, service delivery vans, long haul trucks and passenger cars in 2011.

A 13-mile stretch of the San Diego Freeway outside Los Angeles ranked as the most traffic-choked freeway in the nation. But drivers in Honolulu spent the most time in traffic, averaging 58 hours a year stuck in stop-and-go traffic.

Researchers found urban areas are actually seeing traffic congestion decrease at a significant rate nationwide for the first time since 2008. Seventy of the country's Top 100 most populated cities showed a drop in traffic congestion last year.

The study was commissioned by INRIX, a software company based in Kirkland, Washington, that provides traffic- and driver-related mobile apps and online services.

Among the study's findings:

-- Overall, there was a 30% drop in traffic congestion nationwide, but it came with a cost. Due in part to weak employment conditions and higher fuel prices, there are fewer drivers heading to the office, and those who do drive are driving less, the study found.

-- Last year, only 890,000 of the 2.6 million new jobs were in urban areas, according to the research.

-- In cities such as Tampa, Houston and Austin, Texas, research showed improved jobless numbers led to busier roadways.

-- Eight of the 10 worst stretches of road for average travel time and delays were in New York or Los Angeles.

-- On average, Americans spend around 40 hours per year behind the wheel in commuter bottlenecks.

-- Both the best and worst weekday times to be on the road occur on Fridays. Between 6 and 7 in the morning is the best commute time; 5-6 p.m. is the pits.

-- The worst morning commute is on Tuesday.

So when's the best time to be on the road? The research says Monday.

"People tend to take a little more time getting to the office" on Mondays, said INRIX communications chief Jim Bak. "Also, when people take a long three-day weekend, it's often on Monday,"

The 10 cities with the worst commutes, including hours spent in gridlocked traffic and worst 15-minute traffic intervals, were:

-- Honolulu: 58 hours; 5:15-5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

-- Los Angeles: 56 hours; 5:45-6 p.m. Thursday.

-- San Francisco: 48 hours; 5:45-6 p.m. Thursday.

-- New York: 57 hours; 5:30-5:45 p.m. Friday.

-- Bridgeport, Connecticut: 42 hours; 5:30-5:45 p.m. Friday.

-- Washington: 45 hours; 5:45-6 p.m. Thursday.

-- Seattle: 33 hours; 5:30-5:45 p.m. Thursday.

-- Austin, Texas: 30 hours; 5:30-5:45 p.m. Thursday.

-- Boston: 35 hours; 5:30-5:45 p.m. Thursday.