Joburg is not South Africa’s worst traffic nightmare
JOHANNESBURG – While sitting through frustrating traffic, remember, people in Cape Town are far worse off.
Anyone who lives in Johannesburg can tell stories of traffic congestion and its daily frustrations, but, navigation systems developer TomTom’s Traffic Index 2016 annual report revealed that Cape Town has been rated the most congested city in South Africa.
According to the report, which detailed cities around the world with the most traffic congestion, Cape Town has been revealed to be the most congested city in South Africa. The report stated, ”… Drivers in Cape Town can expect to spend 30 percent extra travel time stuck in traffic any time of the day, and up to 64 percent on a Friday between 4pm and 5pm peak periods versus a free-flow, or uncongested, situation, adding up to 152 hours of extra travel time per year for motorists in Cape Town.”
TomTom Traffic Index, using data from 2015, looks at traffic congestion in 295 cities in 38 countries on six continents. TomTom works with 14 trillion data points that have been accumulated over eight years and this is the fifth year of the TomTom Traffic Index.
Johannesburg is not so far behind . The report found that Johannesburg ranked at 27 percent, East London 25 percent and Bloemfontein 16 percent congestion, making up the top four most congested cities in South Africa. The reports also stated that traffic congestion in Pretoria and Durban is easing.
At a media and stakeholders briefing in Midrand, country manager of TomTom Consumer, Wesley Zinn spoke about how traffic congestion can impact one’s personal life, detailing how relationships and work morale can suffer due to the time one spends stuck in traffic. He also stated that traffic congestion levels are measured against travel times on the same route during a non-congested period.
General manager at TomTom Africa, Etienne Louw, TomTom traffic analyst Jaap Schaapherder and Indutry Associate Professor in Intelligent Transportation Systems at Stellenbosch University and expert in traffic congestion, Johan Anderson, also spoke about the Traffic Index Report and the state of traffic congestion in South Africa.
Louw said there are 800 000km of navigable road segments in South Africa. “You can have peace of mind knowing that if you plan your route before you get on the road, you will arrive at your destination without as much frustration as an unplanned route.”
Professor Anderson said the reason some countries exhibit higher congestion during the afternoon or morning peak hour is purely due to cultural aspects of those countries. ” In South Africa it is known that there is a very condensed peak period, with high traffic volumes experienced over a realtively short period. During afternoon peak traffic there are lower hourly traffic volumes, but the peak is spread over a long time period.”
Details: www.tomtom.com
