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These are the busiest traffic jam cities in the Netherlands (and the rest of the world)

February 16, 2023

The TomTom Traffic Index is an analysis of traffic conditions in 389 cities in 56 countries. Data for the 2022 report includes data from 600 million connected navigation systems around the world. If we concentrate for a moment on the Netherlands, so it turns out that Rotterdam is our traffic jam capital. The Hague (40 hours), Nijmegen (40 hours), Haarlem (39 hours) and Eindhoven (36 hours) complete the top five busiest congestion cities in the Netherlands.

Spending an average of 42 hours a year in traffic jams sounds long, and it may feel even longer in reality, but on a global level, it’s really nothing. Because in the Irish capital, Dublin, you spend an average of 145 hours a year in traffic jams around rush hour, or 3.5 times longer than in Rotterdam. Traffic jams are also poor in Bucharest (143 hours), London (139 hours), Bangalore (134 hours) and Mexico City (132 hours).

Cities with worst traffic flow

TomTom has also analyzed traffic flow in cities. To compare, how long it takes to cover a 10-kilometer distance was tracked. In Haarlem, it takes an average of 14 minutes, once again making it the “slowest” city in the Netherlands. In second place is Nijmegen with 13 minutes and 30 seconds, followed by Amsterdam (12m:50s), Rotterdam (12m:50s) and Groningen (12m:40s).

Globally, Haarlem ranks 209 in terms of traffic flow. For anyone who has ever been by car in the heart of London, it is no surprise that the British capital has the worst traffic flow in the world. There, in 2022, it took an average of 36 minutes to cover distance of 10 kilometers. Car traffic crawls through the streets there at an average speed of only 16 mph, so you might as well ride a bike. The top five slowest cities in the world further include Bangalore (29 min), Dublin (28 min), Sapporo (27 min) and Milan (27 min).

READ ALSO: How long can you drive an electric car in a traffic jam before the battery runs out?

Overall, traffic increased in 62% of cities last year, both globally and in 12 of the Netherlands’ 17 largest cities. Travel time grew by an average of 2% from 2021. Because people are less likely to work from home in the post-corona era, another increase in traffic is expected in 2023.