TomTom Traffic Index: Congestion Up, but New Technologies Show Promise in the U.S.
AMSTERDAM, June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TomTom (TOM2), the location technology specialist, today released the TomTom Traffic Index, a report that provides drivers, city planners, auto manufacturers and policy makers with unbiased statistics and information about congestion levels in 403 cities across 56 countries around the world. Now in its eighth year, the TomTom Traffic Index offers the most-data driven insight into congestion in urban areas and ideas about how traffic can be alleviated.
Los Angeles takes the top spot in the U.S. this year with drivers spending an average of 41 percent extra travel time stuck in traffic. Following Los Angeles, the top five most congested cities in the U.S. are rounded out by New York, N.Y. (36 percent), San Francisco (34 percent), San Jose, Calif. (32 percent), and Seattle, Wash. (31 percent), respectively.
Ranking of the most congested cities in U.S (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time):
1
Los Angeles, CA 41% 6
Miami, FL 30%
2
New York, NY 36% 7
Chicago, IL 28%
3
San Francisco, CA 34% 8
Washington, D.C. 28%
4
San Jose, CA 32% 9
Honolulu, HI 28%
5
Seattle, WA 31% 10
Atlanta, GA 26%
The Global Picture: Congestion on the Rise
Traffic congestion has increased globally during the past decade, and nearly 75 percent of the cities TomTom includes in the new Traffic Index report had increased or stable congestion levels between 2017 and 2018, with only 90 cities showing measurable decreases.
Ralf-Peter Schaefer, TomTom's VP of Traffic information, said: "Globally, traffic congestion is rising. And that's both good and bad news. It's good because traffic increases often indicate a strong economy, but the flip side is drivers wasting time sitting in traffic, not to mention the huge environmental impact."
Significant differences appear when comparing continents: for example, many of the biggest decreases were found in Asia, with most significant dips found in Jakarta (-8%), while nearly every city in South America posted increases, the largest (8%) identified in Lima, Peru.
North America's top five most congested cities are Mexico City (52%), Los Angeles (41%), Vancouver (38%), New York (36%), and San Francisco (34%).
Hope on the Horizon
In the U.S., cities can learn from Portland, Ore. and Salt Lake City, Utah, where congestion improved by 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Both cities have found success deploying traffic reduction measures, and for many years, invested heavily in sophisticated traffic light optimization, bike infrastructure, light rail transit, and reductions to parking availability. In New Haven, Conn., the city has embraced integrated transit, bicycle, and pedestrian options and to ensure job growth happens in locations with non-car commuting options which has also resulted in a 2 percent congestion dip.
Nick Cohn, Senior Traffic Expert, TomTom, comments: "Traffic congestion is a fact of life for every driver - and this year's Traffic Index results show that the problem isn't going away. Although it's no surprise that cities like Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco continue to rank at the top of the list as the most congested cities in the U.S. due to various factors, we've been pleased to uncover some positive developments in cities like Portland and Salt Lake City, which might serve as examples for other cities."
About the TomTom Traffic Index
TomTom has been collecting traffic information and providing traffic services for nearly a decade, allowing drivers to make smarter choices in route planning and avoiding congestion. TomTom's work on the future of driving - from high definition maps for autonomous vehicles, to efficient electric vehicle routing and charging - means that car makers, technology companies, road authorities and governments already have the tools to make the roads less congested.
"At TomTom, we're working towards a future where vehicles are electric, shared and autonomous so that our future really is free of congestion and emissions," adds Schaefer. "We have the technology to make this future happen - but it takes a collaborative effort. From road authorities, to governments; car makers to car drivers, we all have a part to play."
For more details about the TomTom Traffic Index, and to explore interactive rankings, visit www.tomtom.com/traffic-index. There's also helpful advice on beating traffic congestion. The Traffic Index website offers easy access to exploring city statistics and insights - as well as real-time, live traffic information.
Ranking of the most congested cities Globally (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - population over 800,000):
1
Mumbai, India 65% 6 Istanbul, Turkey 53%
2 Bogota, Colombia 63% 7 Jakarta, Indonesia 53%
3
Lima, Peru 58% 8 Bangkok, Thailand 53%
4 New Delhi, India 58% 9 Mexico City, Mexico 52%
5
Moscow, Russia 56% 10
Recife, Brazil 49%
Ranking of the most congested cities in Europe (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - population over 800,000):
1
Moscow, Russia 56% 6
Novosibirsk, Russia 44%
2
Istanbul, Turkey 53% 7
Athens, Greece 40%
3
Bucharest, Romania 48% 8
Rome, Italy 39%
4 Saint Petersburg, Russia 47% 9
Warsaw, Poland 39%
5
Kiev, Ukraine 46% 10
Yekaterinburg, Russia 37%
Ranking of the most congested cities in North America (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - population over 800,000):
1 Mexico City, Mexico 52% 6 Toronto, Canada 32%
2
Los Angeles, USA 41% 7
San Jose, USA 32%
3
Vancouver, Canada 38% 8
Seattle, USA 32%
4
New York, USA 36% 9
Miami, USA 30%
5
San Francisco, USA 34% 10
Chicago, USA 28%
Ranking of the most congested cities in South America (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - population over 800,000):
1 Bogota, Colombia 63% 6
Santiago, Chile 40%
2
Lima, Peru 58% 7
Salvador, Brazil 38%
3
Recife, Brazil 49% 8 Buenos Aires, Argentina 36%
4 Sao Paolo, Brazil 42% 9 Fortaleza, Brazil 35%
5
Rio De Janeiro 42% 10 Porto Alegre, Brazil 33%
Ranking of the most congested cities in Asia (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - population over 800,000):
1
Mumbai, India 65% 6
Tel Aviv, Israel 42%
2
New Delhi, India 58% 7
Zhuhai, China 42%
3
Jakarta, Indonesia 53% 8
Guangzhou, China 42%
4
Bangkok, Thailand 53% 9
Tokyo, Japan 41%
5
Chongqing, China 44% 10
Beijing, China 40%
Ranking of the most congested cities in Africa (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - all population sizes):
1
Cairo, Egypt 44% 6
Durban, S. Africa 18%
2
Cape Town, S. Africa 31% 7
Bloemfontein, S. Africa 12%
3
Johannesburg, S. Africa 30%
4
Pretoria, S. Africa 25%
5
East London, S. Africa 20%
Ranking of the most congested cities in Australia and Oceania (Overall daily congestion level - extra travel time - all population sizes):
1
Sydney, Australia 34% 6
Adelaide, Australia 23%
2 Auckland, New Zealand 29% 7
Gold Coast, Australia 23%
3 Melbourne, Australia 29% 8
Hamilton, New Zealand 22%
4 Wellington, New Zealand 27% 9 Christchurch, New Zealand 21%
5 Brisbane, Australia 25% 10
Hobart, New Zealand 21%
About TomTom
TomTom is the leading independent location technology specialist, shaping mobility with highly accurate maps, navigation software, real-time traffic information and services.
To achieve our vision of a safer world, free of congestion and emissions, we create innovative technologies that keep the world moving. By combining our extensive experience with leading business and technology partners, we power connected vehicles, smart mobility and, ultimately, autonomous driving.
Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in 30 countries, TomTom's technologies are trusted by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
www.tomtom.com
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SOURCE TomTom
