The 15 cities with the worst traffic congestion
They tell us we have to take more advantage of public transportation, make us drive at 30 kilometers per hour on certain streets, and promise us flying cars all simultaneously.
They send us many messages, but in the end, it’s the same people stuck in traffic jams every time.
Large urban centers are impacted by this issue to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the specific city.
To relieve some of the pressure, we will examine some of the most crowded cities in the world today; you should be prepared for a few surprises. Let’s get started.
According to a report by TomTom, which cities have the most severe traffic congestion in the world?
It was challenging to locate a global organization that could accurately study congestion and traffic jams because national motoring federations do not typically operate outside their borders.
However, TomTom, a well-known provider of GPS equipment, would be the company that would be most interested in conducting a study of this nature.
The TomTom Traffic Index is something that is performed on an annual basis: In the year 2020, they conducted research in 416 cities located in 57 different countries, and the following are the findings:
15. Lima
Lima, located in Peru, is the first city on the list. They achieved 144 days with a low traffic level, but in 2020, they experienced a congestion level of 42%.
It is a coastal city with five primary entrances and exits: the 1S passes through Villa el Salvador, the 100 passes through the airport area, the 1N passes through Los Olivos, the 119 passes through La Molina, and the 22 passes through Santa Maria de Huachipato.
However, the city’s focus continues to be on the downtown area, which cannot accommodate the traffic on these already congested roads.
To reduce the number of private vehicles on the road, providing public transportation is one of the city’s most significant challenges.
14. Lodz
Lodz is a significant city located in the middle of Poland that is well-known for its robust textile manufacturing sector.
They have only had 13 days with low traffic, and the congestion level has already reached 42%.
Because roads 91, 14, and 72, which are supposed to act as such, end up becoming just another urban avenue instead, the city does not have any good ring roads.
In addition, only a few wide roads lead into the city proper, such as Politechniki Avenue, which frequently becomes congested with vehicles.
However, one of the most well-liked transportation methods is the streetcar, which has many lines and is well-connected.
13. Kharkiv
We will be traveling to Ukraine, and more specifically to Kharkiv, a city with nearly 1.5 million people and a network of rivers and canals that help articulate the town.
They had 19 days where traffic was light, which contributed to a congestion level of 43 percent.
They have a ring road that provides access to both the central business district and the industrial areas. However, many people still drive in a city that does not have an appealing option for widespread use of public transportation.
In addition, only four avenues lead into the center, which is insufficient given the volume of visitors. They did not make any cuts to their 2019 quotas in any way.
12. St. Petersburg
The cities in North Slavic countries are a mystery to us, but here in Russia’s second-largest city, we have everything we need.
They experienced 60 days with low traffic and a congestion level of 44% during that time.
They have done an excellent job of organizing the city here, with ring roads that extend to Kotlin Island and a well-thought-out system of roads that lead in and out of the town.
The most significant issue is that we are discussing a population of more than five million people, all of whom are required to utilize the urban road network to accomplish their daily errands, such as going to work or the Hermitage Museum.
Thankfully, compared to 2019, they made some reductions to their totals.
11. Odessa
We are back in Ukraine, and this time we are going to the third largest city in the country, Odesa, a popular tourist destination located on the Black Sea.
They had 47 days with low traffic and a congestion level of 44% during that period.
It has four main entrances and exits and a ring road that connects it with nearby towns, but the problem lies in the fact that the surrounding cities are small. All of the life of the region is concentrated in the capital of the oblast, which also receives workers from Moldova and some from Romania.
This makes it difficult for people to get in and out of the city. Nevertheless, compared to the previous year, they are 3% better than they were.
10. Bangkok
The traffic in the capital of Thailand is notoriously chaotic, according to the perspectives of visitors from other countries.
The area’s residents have become accustomed to this mode of transportation and do not experience any difficulties; however, the city’s 10 million inhabitants are subjected to a congestion level of 44% and have only shared 44 days with low traffic.
Even though the city’s core is well connected to the airport and tourist hotspots along the coast, certain connections, particularly in the northern part of the city, are not satisfactory.
They reduced the amount of congestion by 9% compared to the year 2019.
9. Novosibirsk
Back to Russia again; we don’t want to come across as overly aggressive.
Novosibirsk, located in Siberia, was established toward the end of the 19th century, which would lead us to believe that the city’s layout was planned with carriages and, later, cars in mind.
It’s possible, but the reality is that the city’s 1.5 million residents only get 15 days of peace on its streets and highways, contributing to a congestion level of 45%.
They rely excessively on the P-256 highway that cuts through the middle of the city and features three lanes in each direction.
The remaining access points lead to either smaller or medium-sized communities. Compared to 2019, they have not shown any improvement either.
8. New Delhi
When we look at other megacities, we realize that it is difficult to effectively manage a city with a population of over 26 million, but we have no more excuses.
The nation’s capital has an average of 67 days per year, with low traffic and a congestion level of 47%.
Nevertheless, the national government and local authorities have gotten their act together in terms of transportation, and proof of this can be seen in the metro system, which was inaugurated in 2002 and has a network length of 347 kilometers.
They have reduced their data by 9% in comparison to 2019, which indicates that they are moving in the right direction.
7. Kiev
Next up on this list is the city that serves as the capital of Ukraine, which also happens to be the third city in Ukraine overall.
Nearly three million people are making their homes on either side of the Dnieper River, which divides the city in half.
They have had 48 days of low traffic, but the level of congestion is 51% (from 50%, they are already rated red). This is even though they have had 48 days of low traffic.
They are concentrating all of their efforts on the west bank of the city, where the central business district is located; however, poor planning is already a pervasive issue in the Slavic country.
They did, however, adjust their data downward by 2%.
6. Bangalore
There is a city in southern India that is famous for its monuments’ architectural splendor and the gridlock that frequently occurs there.
Bangalore, on the other hand, is getting its act together, and although it had congestion levels of 51% in 2020, it spent 147 days with low traffic and has reduced its numbers by 20%.
This is even though it spent 147 days with low traffic. Routes 44, 75, and 48 all serve as ring roads, but with a population of 8 million people, they need to be able to handle the traffic.
Access to the center is becoming more difficult, but the authorities are already taking additional precautions in preparation for this.
5. Istanbul
Istanbul, also known as Constantinople and Byzantium, is a city built at a strategic location on the Bosphorus Strait to control the flow of maritime traffic between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
It was also planned out to be a massive, impregnable fortress, and while this may have been an advantage back in the 14th century, it is now a nightmare for motorists.
They had 80 days of low traffic and a congestion level of 51%.
Its 15 million inhabitants have to face queues and queues in traffic jams, but little by little, they are reducing their data. They had 80 days of low traffic and a congestion level of 51%.
4. Manila
They had 128 days with low traffic, but the congestion level was 53%.
Now that we’ve reached this point, we’ll head to the capital of the Philippines, Manila, which has a population of more than 1.5 million people andis makings titanic efforts to try to solve a critical situation: they had low traffic for 128 days, but it was still 53%.
And that, in comparison to 2019, they have accomplished an 18% reduction in their total membership.
However, they have a long way to go before resolving their issues. They concentrate almost all of their island’s population and serve as the nerve center for the country’s businesses.
Despite this, they have two ring roads and a well-developed network of entrances and exits to the city.
3. Bogota
Oh, Bogota, seeing you up there on the podium gives us the willies. The traffic in the capital of Colombia has been relatively light for 115 days, but the city still has a congestion level of 53%.
In addition, they have stated that they have cut their data by 15% compared to 2019.
When we talk about the number of people forced to sit in traffic, we talk about seven million people.
The use of public transportation is being actively promoted, and the Bogotá Savannah has already reached the goal of 12 million daily trips using this mode of transportation.
Despite this, additional improvements in every aspect will need to be sought.
2. Mumbai
Mumbai in, India has a population of approximately 12 million people (Bombay).
Despite having 133 days per year with low traffic, it has a congestion level of 53% due to its extremely high population density, which translates into a group of congestion of 53%.
Its coastal location makes things more complex, and the fact that it only has three main roads is not enough to effectively manage the situation.
Even though they have cut their population by 12%, they still need to get their act together and improve their transportation lines, which are somewhat lacking at the moment, or increase the significance of other cities in the region.
1. Moscow (region)
And victor is not a particular city but rather an entire region. In the Moscow Oblast, which includes the Russian capital, there were 66 days with low traffic, but the congestion level was 54%!
The seven million people who call this region home have good reason to be dissatisfied, given that their numbers are only 5% lower than they were in 2019.
This nation as a whole doesn’t seem to care much about improving its roads or public transportation, even though doing so would benefit both the economy and the general welfare of the population.
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