Vancouver’s traffic has edged out Los Angeles’s infamous gridlock for the most congested city in North America, according to a new ranking by a European navigation and traffic management company. The latest 2013 TomTom Travel Index showed Vancouver travel times were 36 per cent longer at peak hours than during non-rush hours, one per cent higher than Los Angeles. According to the index, which rates traffic in 169 cities worldwide, Vancouver’s congestion has increased 2.8 per cent from the 2012 rate of 32.7 per cent, which put the city in seventh place. The cumulative effect of all this traffic for the average commuter with a 30-minute trip is an extra 93 hours, or more than 11 working days, spent behind the wheel each year. In Vancouver this year, June 30 was the worst day for traffic congestion. Generally, Mondays are the best traffic days and Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings the worst, the study revealed. The top cities for traffic congestion in North America are: 1. Vancouver, Canada 2. Los Angeles, USA 3. San Francisco, USA 4. Honolulu, USA 5. Seattle, USA 6. San Jose, USA 7. Toronto, Canada 8. Washington, USA 9. New York, USA 10. Montreal, Canada TomTom estimates that eight work days (64 hours) are lost worldwide to traffic congestion. Canadian cities have a maximum average loss of 11.6 work days (93 hours) based on Vancouver. “Deep research into traffic is a natural byproduct of TomTom’s work, since we deliver products that help drivers avoid traffic and delays,” said TomTom’s Head of Global Traffic Research, Nick Cohn. “It will be interesting to see how cities and drivers react to our findings. In the meantime, our research helps keep a pulse on the shifts in traffic patterns, as we work to find new ways to tackle congestion.” The TomTom Traffic Index takes into account local roads and highways, going well beyond research and other studies that only evaluate traffic on main highways, or are subjective surveys of people’s perception of traffic congestion. The Traffic Index is based on detailed knowledge of the global road network and aims to help drivers, businesses and governments manage traffic congestion effectively. TomTom is the only company able to provide the depth of data based on the number of sensors supplying accurate information from around the world. “The findings from the Traffic Index also show that real-time traffic information has the potential to ease congestion in urban areas by routing drivers away from gridlock, and help commuters to make smarter decisions,” said TomToms Chief Executive Officer, Harold Goddijn. “The way traffic is managed needs significant change.” TomTom’s complete Traffic Index, including individual city reports, can be found at tomtom/trafficindex.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 05:39:32 +0000
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