New Delhi: Some of our big cities are notorious for their traffic jams and congestion.
That has been aptly reflected in the traffic index released by TomTom, a Dutch location technology specialist.
Of the 5 most congested cities in the world, 3 are from India!
Kolkata has emerged as India’s most congested city in 2024, followed by last year’s ‘topper’ Bengaluru and Pune.
Leading the list is Colombian city Barranquilla, followed by Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune at Nos 2, 3 and 4, respectively.
According to the traffic index report, drivers in Kolkata needed an average of 34 minutes and 33 seconds to cover a distance of 10 km last year. In Bengaluru’s case, it was marginally quicker at 34 minutes and 10 seconds for the same distance, while Pune clocked 33 minutes and 22 seconds.
Barranquilla was clearly ahead of the rest, with the average to travel 10 km being 36 minutes and 6 seconds.
As for average speed, Kolkata recorded 17.4 kmph, while Bengaluru was 17.6 kmph.
Barranquilla, on the other hand, had the lowest average speed of 10.3 mph.
Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune apart, the other congested cities in India are Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai, while New Delhi ranks at No. 10.
The report mentioned a trend of increasing travel times across the world, with 76 per cent of the 500 cities analysed experiencing a decline in average speeds compared to 2023.
The TomTom Traffic Index incorporated data from over 458 billion miles of driving across 500 cities in 62 countries.
“Static factors, such as road infrastructure and urban design, combine with dynamic influences like peak-hour traffic and weather conditions to shape urban mobility,” the report said.
