Sydney Traffic Rated Amongst Worst In The World

GPS manufacturer TomTom has released its global Congestion Index report for 2012 which monitors and compares traffic congestion levels around the world. In an outcome that will surprise nobody who spends time in its CBD, New South Wales’ Sydney has edged into seventh place, beating the likes of Paris, Rome and Tokyo.

Sydney picture from Shutterstock

The TomTom Congestion Index is based on real travel time data captured by vehicles driving the entire road network. On average, it found that the overall congestion level in Sydney is 33 per cent. In peak traffic periods, this typically explodes to 78 per cent, which equates to around 40 wasted minutes for every hour driven.

“The TomTom Congestion Index clearly shows that traffic in our major metropolitan cities is on the rise. At TomTom we’re constantly working to help governments and road authorities make more informed decisions about tackling the issue of traffic congestion and the Index aims to do just that,” TomTom’s Asia Pacific VP, Chris Kearney said in a statement.

Moscow took out the top spot, with average traffic congestion measuring a massive 66 per cent. The rest of the Top Ten was made up by Istanbul (55% congestion), Warsaw (42%), Marseille (40%), Palermo (39%), Los Angeles (33%), Stuttgart (33%), Paris (33%) and Rome (33%).

The worst times to travel in Sydney are Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon, with congestion rising to over 78 per cent when compared to non-peak times. Although, as we have noted in the past, the term ‘peak hour’ is largely nonsense, with morning congestion on Sydney’s M4 typically lasting for at least four hours (followed by additional spikes at around 3pm and 5pm.)

Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra also made the Top Ten for the A/NZ region. Interestingly, the report found that Friday afternoons were the quietest time on the road for Canberra, proving that there’s basically nothing to do in this city (we kid).

See also: What Strategies Would You Use To Reduce Traffic Congestion?


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