Stuck in traffic? You’re not the only one!

Let’s be honest, no one enjoys being stuck in traffic! And while some try to commute during different traffic flow times to avoid it as best they can, others, unfortunately, have no choice but to brace the often long and frustrating journey through traffic – sometimes more than once a day. Of course, traffic congestion is dramatically impacted by population growth, the economy and infrastructure, but it also has massive costs both economically and socially. So how does your city’s traffic compare to others in South Africa and the rest of the world?

According to the INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard which analyses congestion and mobility trends of more than 200 cities, across 38 countries, Moscow, Istanbul, Bogota, Mexico City and Sao Paulo make up the Top 5 in the Global Congestion Impact ranking (time lost due to traffic and severity).

Moscow took first place for the second year running with 210 hours lost annually to congestion per person. Istanbul came in second with 157 hours lost, and Bogota third with 272 hours lost (that’s over 11 days!) – the most hours lost per commuter around the world. So, what about South Africa?

Johannesburg was South Africa’s most congested city in 2018, where commuters spent roughly 119 hours per year sitting in traffic – or nearly five days – an increase of 3% from 2017, making it the 61^st most congested city in the world. Cape Town ranked South Africa’s fifth most congested city – where congestion decreased by 4% from 2017. Despite this, however, Capetonians lost more hours due to traffic than Joburgers at 162 hours – despite rush hour not being as bad as in Johannesburg. In Pretoria, the country’s second most congested city, commuters lost 143 hours annually. Port Elizabeth came in at 71 hours lost each year and Durban at 72 hours. The least congested city in South Africa was Bloemfontein.

No matter your city, government and industry need to examine different solutions for the increasingly pressing traffic problems but for now, until a viable solution is in place, do your part by finding alternative routes or consider a lift club to ease congestion.