Showing up late tells them what you think of their time before you’ve said a word.

Arriving late makes an announcement before you open your mouth. Whoever waited has spent that time working out where they stand with you, and the message is not about traffic, it is about rank, because people notice you are never late for things you are frightened of missing. None of that is what you meant. All of it arrives anyway.

Pick the person you are habitually late for and leave ten minutes earlier this week. On the days you are late anyway, apologise once, briefly, with no story attached. Then look at who you are always on time for, because that comparison tells you something true.