The cities with the worst traffic congestion in SA
As everyone knows, driving would be much more fun if there weren't so many cars on the road.
Picture: iStock
Urban areas are bad for traffic – but have you ever wondered where the worst ones are?
The 2019 edition of TomTom’s Traffic Index, which ranks the world’s most congested cities, has all of the answers.
Asia has most of the biggest scores. At the top of the list, Bangalore, India has the most distressing conditions for motorists, who spend up to 71% more time in their cars than they might on a normal journey.
Manila in the Philippines is just as bad.
The Colombian capital Bogota, which had the dubious privilege of finishing first in the 2018 table, comes in third in the latest ranking.
It should be noted that India has four of the 10 most congested cities in the world.
TomTom also reports that the average level of congestion around the globe in 2019 was 29%.
Manila has some of the worst traffic in the world.. Picture: Jay Directo / AFP
The top 10 most traffic-choked cities in the world:
1. Bangalore (India), 71%
2. Manila (Philippines), 71%
3. Bogota (Colombia), 68%
4. Bombay (India), 65%
5. Pune (India), 59%
6. Moscow (Russia), 59%
7. Lima (Peru), 57%
8. New Delhi (India), 56%
9. Istanbul (Turkey), 55%
10. Jakarta (Indonesia), 53%
In the US, the worst city was Los Angeles, with 42%, followed by New York at 37%.
Times Square, New York City. Picture: iStock
In Africa, the most congested city was Cairo with 42%.
South Africa was also included on the list, making for an interesting view of the top five most traffic-choked cities in the country.
The results, according to the global ranking, are as follows:
101. Cape Town, 32%
121. Johannesburg, 30%
207. Pretoria, 25%
249. East London, 22%
314. Durban, 19%
Bloemfontein ranked the lowest in SA, with just 13% at a global ranking of 402.
The TomTom Traffic Index covered 416 cities in 57 countries. The percentages correspond to the level of congestion, i.e., the additional travel time measured for each driver on the entire network, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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