BUSINESS

10 cities in the world with worst traffic jams

By Rediff Business Desk
September 09, 2014

Heavy traffic is seen on the streets of Moscow during the evening rush hour. Photograph: Anton Golubev/Reuters

People living in cities are the worst victims of traffic congestion. And their woes just get worse every year.

A traffic index created by TomTom, a navigation and GPS systems manufacturer, lists the cities which bear the brunt of traffic snarls.

For instance, a TomTom's study reveals that drivers in China spend an average of nine working days a year stuck in traffic.

The index measures travel time throughout the day and during peak periods and compares them with travel time during non-congested periods.

The difference is expressed as a total average percentage Congestion level.

The TomTom Traffic Index compares travel time during non-congested hours with travel times in peak hours experienced by passenger vehicles.

Take a look at 10 cities across the world with the worst traffic woes…

Traffic crawls around the inner ring road in central Moscow. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Moscow

Rank: 1

Country: Russia

Congestion level: 74%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 76 min

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 128 hours

Congestion level on highways: 79%

Congestion on non-highways: 72%

Bosphorus suspension bridge in Istanbul. Photograph: Reuters

Istanbul

Rank: 2

Country: Turkey

Congestion level: 62%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 66 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 120 hours

Congestion level on highways: 73%

Congestion on non-highways: 54%       

Halley Pacheco de Oliveira/Wikimedia Commons

Rio de Janeiro

Rank: 3

Country: Brazil

Congestion level: 55%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 59 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 114 hours

Congestion level on highways: 45%

Congestion on non-highways: 58% 

Traffic in Mexico City. Photograph: Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters

Mexico City

Rank: 4

Congestion level: 54%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 53 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 107 hours

Congestion level on highways: 43%

Congestion on non-highways: 60% 

A general view shows the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge in Sao Paulo. Photograph: Reuters

Sao Paulo

Rank: 5

Country: Brazil

Congestion level: 46%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 48 min

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 102 hours

Congestion level on highways: 30%

Congestion on non-highways: 52% 

Quattro Canti, officially known as Piazza Vigliena, is a Baroque square in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. Photograph, courtesy: Bengt Nyman/Wikimedia Commons

Palermo

Rank: 6

Country: Italy

Congestion level: 39%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 37 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 87 hours

Congestion level on highways: 29%

Congestion on non-highways: 45%

People walk along an illuminated Royal Route in Warsaw, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Warsaw

Rank: 7

Country: Poland

Congestion level: 39%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 43 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 96 hours

Congestion level on highways: 37%

Congestion on non-highways: 41% 

A woman dressed in a burlesque costume performs during a flash mob to mark Valentine's Day in Rome. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Rome

Rank: 8

Country: Italy

Congestion level: 37%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 40 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 92 hours

Congestion level on highways: 26%

Congestion on non-highways: 41%

Traffic near Los Angeles International Airport. Photograph: Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters

Los Angeles

Rank: 9

Country: United States

Congestion level: 36%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 39 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 90 hours

Congestion level on highways: 34%

Congestion on non-highways: 38%

A woman cycles past a restaurant near Dublin city centre. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

Dublin

Rank: 10

Country: Ireland

Congestion level: 35%

Delay per hour driven in peak period: 43 minutes

Delay per year with a 30 minute travel: 96 hours

Congestion level on highways: 27%

Congestion on non-highways: 42%

Rediff Business Desk

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