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When it comes to traffic chaos, India’s garden city resembles more of a jungle these days. TomTom’s Traffic Index just confirms this harsh reality. The location technology specialist’s latest report, which details the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries, says Bengaluru is the ‘Most Traffic Congested City’ in the world, with drivers expecting to spend an average of 71 per cent extra travel time stuck in traffic.
Bengalureans, driving during peak hours, spend an extra 243 hours, i.e., 10 days and three hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (103 per cent) was on August 20, 2019, while its lowest congestion (30 per cent) was on April 6, 2019.
Apart from Bengaluru, the other Indian cities that are among the top 10 most congested cities globally are Mumbai, at fourth position with 65 per cent congestion (same as the congestion level in 2018); Pune, at fifth position with 59 per cent congestion; and New Delhi, at eight position with 56 per cent congestion level.
As a result, four of the top 10 most congested cities in the TomTom Traffic Index 2019 are from India. The other global cities featured amongst the top 10 include Manila from the Philippines, Bogota from Colombia, Moscow from Russia, Lima from Peru, Istanbul from Turkey and Jakarta from Indonesia.
Mumbai madness
Mumbaikars driving during peak hours spend an extra 209 hours, i.e., 8 days and 17 hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (101 per cent) was on September 9, 2019, while its lowest congestion (19 per cent) was recorded on March 21, 2019.
Punekars driving during peak hours spend an extra 193 hours, i.e., 8 days and one hour in traffic each year. Pune features for the first time in the Traffic Index. The city’s heaviest congestion (93 per cent) was recorded on August 2, 2019, while its lowest congestion (30 per cent) was recorded on October 27, 2019.
Delhiites driving during peak hours spend an extra 190 hours, i.e., 7 days and 22 hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (81 per cent) was recorded on October 23, 2019, while its lowest congestion (6 per cent) was recorded on March 21, 2019.
The cost of congestion
Traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade, and 239 cities (57 per cent) that TomTom has included in the new Traffic Index report saw increased congestion levels between 2018 and 2019, with only 63 cities showing measurable decreases. This global increase in congestion, despite being an indicator of a strong economy, also costs economies a lot.
Werner van Huyssteen, General Manager, TomTom India, said: “Globally, there’s a long road to travel until congestion levels are brought under control. In time, the car-sharing services will help alleviate congestion; however, planners and policymakers need to use all the tools available to them to analyse traffic levels and impacts, so that they can take critical infrastructure decisions.”
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