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World's most traffic-congested cities - surprisingly, SA doesn't fare too badly


Cape Town – The latest Traffic Index from TomTom, highlighting the impact of traffic congestion in over 200 cities around the world, shows some rather interesting congestion stats – with a few surprises when it comes to South Africa.

From the index it's clear worldwide traffic trends are horrendous but there is no denying that our morning commute in SA is nothing to be sniffed at – especially since the index shows it's far worse than SA's evening rush-hour.

Locally, Cape Town is the most congested city with an average commute taking 72% longer than anywhere else in the country – but remarkably SA’s inclusion with the mother city only comes in at number 55 on the list. Johannesburg listed at 77 is not much better with a morning travel adding up to 59% to commuting time. Check out Wheels24 to see the fill list of how SA’s cities compare.   

Conversely the global trend shows evening rush hour is the most congested time of day with bottlenecks nearly doubling journey times. In 2014, the average commuter spent an extra 100 hours a year travelling during rush hour. 

Topping the list are Istanbul, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Salvador. 

The congestion level increased everywhere with the congestion levels on non-highways still being remarkably higher than on highways, resulting in commuters spending up to 11 days per year sitting in traffic.

READ: Easter weekend warning: DUI accident deaths equal murder

READ: Favourite SA road trips - Joburg to Cape Town

“TomTom’s mission is to reduce traffic congestion for everyone,” says Carey Dodd, Marketing Manager for TomTom SA.

“Road authorities and local governments can use TomTom’s traffic data to better manage traffic flow during the rush hour. We can help businesses plan smarter working hours to help their employees avoid travelling during rush hour. And we give drivers the real-time traffic information and smart routing they need to avoid congested roads and get there faster.”

World’s 10 most congested cities as based on overall congestion levels as shown on the TomTom website:  


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