Skip to main content

TomTom survey shows congestion worsening in 200 global cities

A survey of more than 200 major global cities shows that commuters in Istanbul experience the worst overall traffic congestion. The average 30-minute drive in Istanbul takes more than an hour during evening rush hour, leading to an extra 125 hours wasted stuck in traffic every year, according to the latest Traffic Index Survey from Tom Tom. However, in Los Angeles, a 30 minute commute in the evening rush hour will take 54 minutes, adding an extra 92 hours annually.
April 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A survey of more than 200 major global cities shows that commuters in Istanbul experience the worst overall traffic congestion.

The average 30-minute drive in Istanbul takes more than an hour during evening rush hour, leading to an extra 125 hours wasted stuck in traffic every year, according to the latest Traffic Index Survey from Tom Tom.

However, in Los Angeles, a 30 minute commute in the evening rush hour will take 54 minutes, adding an extra 92 hours annually.

This year 3972 TomTom has expanded its Traffic Index to 218 cities in 36 countries. For the first time, the index includes traffic information for China, Romania, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia and United Arab Emirates. The Traffic Index is based on data collected during 2014.

Overall ranking of most congested cities in 2014:

1.    Istanbul (Turkey)
2.    Mexico City
3.    Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
4.    Moscow
5.    Salvador (Brazil)
6.    Recife (Brazil)
7.    St. Petersburg (Russia)
8.    Bucharest (Romania)
9.    Warsaw (Poland)
10.    Los Angeles

Top ten cities with the worst evening rush hour:

1.    Istanbul
2.    Moscow
3.    St. Petersburg
4.    Mexico City
5.    Chongqing (China)
6.    Recife
7.    Bucharest
8.    Rio de Janeiro
9.    Shenzhen (China)
10.    Los Angeles

The survey also showed that traffic congestion in UK cities has worsened considerably over the past year, as World Highways had reported earlier. Average journeys in the UK last year took 29% longer than they would in free-flowing traffic – up from a 27% in 2013.

The only UK city where congestion had improved is Bristol, down from 32% to 29% per cent.

To find out more information on the Traffic Index, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal click here Visit TomTom Page false http://www.tomtom.com/trafficindex false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tackling congestion – with tough decisions
    July 8, 2016
    As editor of World Highways, information is provided on a great deal of revolutionary new traffic technology. Some of these new innovations offer major advantages in cutting congestion; smart systems that can regulate traffic flow or reduce risks for commuters. But it is worth remembering too that some of the solutions to urban transportation, as well as cutting urban pollution, have been around for a very long time. The humble bicycle is a highly efficient machine for transportation over comparatively shor
  • Seoul, city of contemplation and the 25th World Road Congress
    March 18, 2015
    It’s been a decade since South Korea’s capital city Seoul took the bold step of replacing a major urban throughway with a park, complete with a river, to create the Cheonggyecheon Walkway. Now, Seoul is getting ready to host the 25th World Road Congress from November 2-5. The event is being produced in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Expressway Corporation, the Korea Road & Transportation Association and the PIARC Korean National Commit
  • Serbia approves merger of Koridori Srbije and Putevi Srbije
    November 25, 2014
    Serbia’s Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure has approved a merger between the public-owned roads companies Putevi Srbije (Roads of Serbia) and Koridori Srbije (Corridors of Serbia). Putevi Srbije maintains roads while Koridori focuses on construction planning and project management, including expropriation of land. The government said the merger will contribute to faster completion of projects such as stretches of Europe’s Corridor 10 and Corridor 11 road networks and hopefully red
  • Bigger and better INTERMAT show
    January 6, 2017
    INTERMAT is well-established as one of the biggest international shows for the construction equipment, machinery, technology and materials sector. This year INTERMAT and World of Concrete have pooled their expertise and reputations to launch World of Concrete Europe (WOC Europe). This collaboration will better meet the needs of the European concrete market by providing a comprehensive view of the sector.