Monday 21 March 2016

World's Worst Cities for Rush Hour Periods

1. Bangkok

2016 worst traffic
Bangkok has a sparkling metro system, river ferries and even a network of canals. But it still has the worst evening rush hour traffic in the world.
Journey times more than double in Thailand's capital city during the evening commute, according to GPS manufacturer TomTom.
"It's pretty extreme," Nick Cohn, senior traffic expert at TomTom, said of the city's road delays.
It might get even worse, especially as the country's middle class continues to grow.
"People just wanna drive because it's kind of a status symbol," Cohn said.
2. Instabul
2016 worst traffic
Istanbul, with its bridges connecting Asia and Europe, has the world's second-worst evening rush hour.
TomTom says a journey that would normally take 30 minutes in free-flowing traffic requires just under an hour during evening peak times.
But that's actually an improvement over the previous year. To help ease traffic, the city has built a rail tunnel under the Bosphorus, and expanded its metro network.
"They've been doing massive investment in new infrastructure," Cohn said.
3. Mexico
2016 worst traffic
Mexico City is notorious for its terrible traffic. Things aren't getting better.
Cohn said the reasons for more congestion are economic: The capital is adding jobs, businesses and people.
The city is building more infrastructure, too. But it may have to encourage people to use their cars less.
"You can't just build away congestion," Cohn said. "You have to do more."
4. Moscow
2016 worst traffic
Driving through Moscow's ring-like highway system during the evening hours is for patient types -- traffic turns the typical half hour evening commute into a 57-minute affair.
Traffic jams in the Russian capital are notorious even outside peak hours -- Moscow has the world's fifth worst traffic overall.

5. Saint Petersburg
 2016 worst traffic
This "Paris of the East" boasts world-class palaces, churches and museums. And traffic.
While overall congestion has declined 4% from last year, the Russian city still has the fifth-worst evening rush hour.
6. Bucharest
2016 worst traffic
Bucharest's inclusion on the list might surprise some, but it makes perfect sense to its drivers.
An average evening rush hour journey through the Romanian capital is delayed by 26 minutes.
7. Chongquing
2016 worst traffic
Chongqing is the first of four Chinese cities on TomTom's list.
Located in southwestern China, residents of the city are forced to endure 191 extra hours in traffic each year if they commute at peak times.
8. Shenzhen
2016 worst traffic
In the 1980s, Shenzhen was the first Chinese city to be designated a Special Economic Zone. Now, the city bills itself as China's "Silicon Valley."
But a massive economic boom has also resulted in epic traffic problems. Last year, congestion increased 3%, according to TomTom.
9. Guanghou
2016 worst traffic
Guangzhou is situated just north of Shenzhen in China's Pearl River Delta.
Same traffic problems, though.
Here, the car is a new king. The latest evidence? Bicycle trips across China are down by 50%, Cohn said.
10. Zhuhari
2016 worst traffic
Zhuhai, a stone's throw from Shenzhen and Guangzhou, completes a bad-traffic trifecta for southern China.
Commuters should expect the average 30-minute journey to take an additional 25 minutes during evening rush hour.
11. Los Angeles
2016 worst traffic
The drive along the Pacific coast is one of the most scenic in the U.S., but that's of little comfort to Los Angeles drivers.
The average evening rush hour delay per 30-minute journey is 24 minutes.
L.A. is the worst U.S. city on TomTom's list of rush hour traffic, followed by Seattle, San Jose, San Francisco and Houston.
12. Chengdu
2016 worst traffic
Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, is best known for its incredibly spicy cuisine and gigantic panda research center.
It's also one of the worst performers on TomTom's list, having posted a 5% increase in overall traffic congestion last year.
"They're very sophisticated in terms of traffic management," Cohn said. "But they have so much growth in terms of car ownership that it means it's very hard to keep congestion from rising."

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