New Delhi is amongst the ‘Most Traffic Congested City’ in World: TomTom Traffic Index 2019

by Suman Gupta

4 of the top 10 most congested cities globally are from India

New Delhi, January 29, 2020 – Location technology specialist, TomTom (TOM2), today released the results of the TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries. New Delhi takes the 8^th spot this year with 56% congestion level (extra travel time stuck in traffic). On an average, Delhiites driving during peak hours spend an extra 190 hours, i.e., 7 days, 22 hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (81%) was recorded on October 23, 2019, while its lowest congestion (6%) was recorded on March 21, 2019. The TomTom Traffic Index 2019 indicates that the congestion level in Delhi has reduced by 2% compared to TomTom Traffic Index 2018.

Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic. India topped the TomTom Traffic Index 2019 with 4 of its cities amongst the 10 most congested cities globally with Bengaluru (71%), Mumbai (65%), Pune (59%) and New Delhi (56%) ranks 1^st, 4^th, 5^th and 8^th respectively. 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.

Congestion level across Indian Cities

Bengaluru: On an average, Bengalureans driving during peak hours, spend an extra 243 hours, i.e., 10 days, 3 hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (103%) was on August 20, 2019, while its lowest congestion (30%) was on April 6, 2019.

Mumbai: Mumbaikars driving during peak hours spend an extra 209 hours, i.e., 8 days, 17 hours in traffic each year. The city’s heaviest congestion (101%) was on September 9, 2019, while its lowest congestion (19%) was recorded on March 21, 2019.

Pune: On an average, Punekars driving during peak hours spend an extra 193 hours, i.e., 8 days, 1 hour in traffic each year.  The city’s heaviest congestion (93%) was recorded on August 2, 2019, while its lowest congestion (30%) was recorded on October 27, 2019.

Congestion up, globally: At what cost?

Traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade, and 239 cities (57%) TomTom included in the new Traffic Index report had 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 billions.

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 they can make critical infrastructure decisions.”

Analyzing real-time incidents and congestion to predict traffic before it happens, TomTom’s Real-Time Traffic makes TomTom navigation software more accurate with enhanced route calculations and accurate estimated times of arrival (ETA). That’s why TomTom is the market leader, with its traffic technology in millions of cars on the road around the world. TomTom Traffic knows the road ahead, saving time, fuel and stress for drivers, fleet and logistics providers, on-demand services (ride hailing, food delivery), and traffic management services.

And the location technology specialist’s work on the future of driving – from high definition maps for autonomous vehicles, to efficient electric vehicle routing and charging – means that car makers, technology companies, road authorities and governments already have the tools to make the roads less congested.

People can find out more about the TomTom Traffic Index, and discover where their home city ranks at tomtom.com/TrafficIndex. There’s also helpful advice on beating traffic congestion.

How do you beat traffic congestion?

Next time you are heading into traffic, consider these helpful tips:

1. Plan before you go.Taking a few moments before heading out the door to inform yourself on the road conditions on the way to your destination will help you consider your alternatives and decide on the best course of action.

2. Trust technology to help you.It may be uncomfortable to take the road less traveled simply because your satnav suggests it’s the fastest one. Often, if you cannot see that a road is indeed congested, it is hard to believe it. Dare to take the alternative route offered by up-to-date navigation, because it is basing its recommendation on real-time traffic conditions on the route you are taking.

3. Change your driving habits.Most often, traffic will peak at certain times of the day, depending on location. This is clear in each of the city pages in the TomTom Traffic Index report, where we provide the average congestion level for each hour of each day of the week. Use the information available to adjust your departure time accordingly. Leaving early or late from a location might mean avoiding time spent in traffic on the road.

4. Consider alternatives.Does your trip have to be made by car? If your planned activity is time-sensitive and you cannot change your departure times, consider ride-sharing, public transport or non-motorized options such as cycling or scooters.

5. Work with your city.Ultimately, improving mobility in our cities is a collaborative effort. Together, city authorities, vehicle manufacturers, traffic signal system providers, parking facilities, traffic information providers, shared mobility providers, startups and, most importantly, the public, are experimenting and transforming cities worldwide. Inform yourself of the initiatives taking place in your urban area and how you can benefit from them.

Ranking of the most congested cities Globally (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – population over 800,000):

1	Bengaluru, India	71%	6	Moscow, Russia	59%
2	Manila, Philippines	71%	7	Lima, Peru	57%
3	Bogota, Colombia	68%	8	New Delhi, India	56%
4	Mumbai, India	65%	9	Istanbul, Turkey	55%
5	Pune, India	59%	10	Jakarta, Indonesia	53%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in Europe (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – population over 800,000):

1	Moscow, Russia	59%	6	Dublin, Ireland	48%
2	Istanbul, Turkey	55%	7	Odessa, Ukraine	47%
3	Kyiv, Ukraine	53%	8	Novosibirsk, Russia	45%
4	Bucharest, Romania	52%	9	Samara, Russia	44%
5	Saint Petersburg	49%	10	Kharkiv, Ukraine	43%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in United States of America (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – population over 800,000):

1	Los Angeles, USA	42%	6	Miami, USA	31%
2	New York, USA	37%	7	Washington, USA	29%
3	San Francisco, USA	36%	8	Chicago, USA	28%
4	San Jose, USA	33%	9	Honolulu, USA	28%
5	Seattle, USA	31%	10	Austin, USA	27%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in South America (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – population over 800,000):

1	Bogota, Colombia	68%	6	Santiago, Chile	44%
2	Lima, Peru	57%	7	Salvador, Brazil	43%
3	Recife, Brazil	50%	8	Fortaleza, Brazil	37%
4	Rio De Janeiro	46%	9	Belo Horizonte, Brazil	35%
5	Sao Paolo	45%	10	Porto Alegre, Brazil	35%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in Asia (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – population over 800,000):

1	Bengaluru, India	71%	6	Jakarta, Indonesia	53%
2	Manila, Philippines	71%	7	Bangkok, Thailand	53%
3	Mumbai, India	65%	8	Tel Aviv, Israel	46%
4	Pune, India	59%	9	Tokyo, Japan	42%
5	New Delhi, India	56%	10	Chongqing, China	41%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in Africa (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – all population sizes):

1	Cairo, Egypt	40%	6	Durban, S. Africa	19%
2	Cape Town, S. Africa	32%	7	Bloemfontein, S. Africa	13%
3	Johannesburg, S. Africa	30%
4	Pretoria, S. Africa	25%
5	East London, S. Africa	22%

 

Ranking of the most congested cities in Australia and Oceania (Overall daily congestion level – extra travel time – all population sizes):

1	Sydney, Australia	33%	6	Brisbane, Australia	25%
2	Auckland, New Zealand	31%	7	Adelaide, Australia	24%
3	Melbourne, Australia	30%	8	Gold Coast, Australia	24%
4	Wellington, New Zealand	28%	9	Hobart, Australia	23%
5	Hamilton, New Zealand	25%	10	Christchurch, New Zealand	21%

 *of cities with a population of more than 800,000

About TomTom: TomTom is the leading independent location technology specialist, shaping mobility with highly accurate maps, navigation software, real-time traffic information and services.

To achieve our vision of a safer world, free of congestion and emissions, we create innovative technologies that keep the world moving. By combining our extensive experience with leading business and technology partners, we power connected vehicles, smart mobility and, ultimately, autonomous driving.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in 30 countries, TomTom’s technologies are trusted by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

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