Global study finds Mumbai ‘most-congested’ among 403 cities across 6 continents

Mumbai is the most traffic congested city in the world, an analysis of traffic congestion in 403 cities across six continents has revealed.

According to ‘Traffic Index-2018’ report, compiled by leading independent location technology specialist TomTom, Mumbai takes the top spot for the second consecutive year with commuters spending an average of 65 percent extra travel time stuck in traffic.

Globally, Mumbai is followed by Colombian capital, Bogota (63 percent), Lima in Peru (58 percent), New Delhi (58 percent) and Russian capital, Moscow (56 percent) – which make up the top five most congested cities in the world.

With Moscow taking the lead in Europe, Istanbul (53 percent) came a close second with Bucharest (48 percent) Saint Petersburg (47 percent) and Kiev (46 percent) making up the top five.

Brussels (37 percent), London (37 percent) and Paris (36 percent) ranked in at 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively.

Among North American cities, top five most congested are Mexico City (52 percent), Los Angeles (41 percent), Vancouver (38 percent), New York (36 percent) and San Francisco (34 percent).

The report said that traffic congestion has increased globally during the last decade and nearly 75 percent of the cities Tom Tom includes in the new Traffic Index report had increased or stable congestion levels between 2017 and 2018.

Meanwhile, only 90 cities showed a measurable decrease in traffic. During the observation period, Jakarta recorded the maximum decline in traffic, while Lima in Peru saw the highest rise.

“Globally, traffic congestion is rising. And that’s both good and bad news. It’s good because it indicates a strong global economy, but the flip side is drivers wasting time sitting in traffic, not to mention the huge environmental impact,” Ralf-Peter Schaefer, TomTom’s Vice President of Traffic information said.

He said 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.

“The location technology specialist’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,” he said.

TomTom’s report is also in line with other domestic reports, which have pegged Mumbai as the country’s most congested city.