Bengaluru has the most congested roads among 416 major cities across 57 countries, according to an analysis of road traffic data, which also puts three other Indian cities — Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi — among the 10 cities where the problem is most severe.
The TomTom Traffic Index, released by Netherlands-headquartered satellite navigation equipment-maker TomTom, said the traffic situation in 57% of the cities it covered worsened — while it improved only in about 15% of the cities.
“Globally, there’s a long road to travel until congestion levels are brought under control,” said Werner van Huyssteen, general manager, TomTom India, according to PTI.
According to the report, people in Karnataka’s capital expected to spend an average of 71% extra time stuck in traffic. In peak hours, this translated to 243 hours, or 10 days, three hours in traffic each year.
Mumbai at fourth position had 65% congestion (same as the traffic congestion level it had in 2018) followed by Pune at fifth place with 59% congestion and New Delhi at eighth position with 56% congestion.
Delhi showed an improvement in congestion by two percentage points. Pune and Bengaluru were not surveyed last year.
The report spotlights a problem that, in addition to time lost, also contributed to air pollution as vehicles spew toxic gases while idling in jams. According to a 2018 report, the transport sector contributes more than a fourth of the harmful PM2.5 pollutants in the national capital’s air during winter months.
The other global cities featured among the top 10 include Manila, Philippines; Bogota, Colombia; Moscow, Russia; Lima, Peru; Istanbul, Turkey; and Jakarta in Indonesia.
This global increase in congestion, despite being an indicator of a strong economy, also costs economies billions, the report added.
In time, car-sharing services will help alleviate congestion; however, planners and policymakers need to use all tools available to analyse traffic levels and impacts, so they can make critical infrastructure decisions, the company added, according to a statement on PTI.
