Jammed roads waste 3,5 days for commuters

7 Nov 2013

South African commuters are spending an average of 3.5 working days a year stuck in traffic‚ as car ownership rises and more people move to the cities‚ according to research by car satellite-navigation systems provider TomTom.

Jo'burg is the world's 20th most congested city. Image:Africa Check

The company's traffic index aims to help drivers‚ businesses and governments manage traffic congestion effectively. It compares travel times during non-congested hours with travel times in peak hours.

"The traditional response to tackling congestion‚ like building new roads or widening existing ones, are no longer effective. The way traffic is managed needs significant change‚" said TomTom South Africa's country manager Daan Henderickx.

He said despite the fact the majority of the city's population are low-income earners who make use of public transport‚ car ownership is increasing rapidly.

Traffic worst on Monday

"The findings from the traffic index show that real-time traffic information has the potential to ease congestion in urban areas by routing drivers away from gridlock and helping commuters to make smarter decisions‚" he said.

As expected‚ Johannesburg has the highest congestion of the six urban areas‚ followed by East Rand North‚ Cape Town and Pretoria. Durban and East Rand South‚ which includes Boksburg‚ Benoni‚ Brakpan and Springs‚ are the least congested among the six.

According to TomTom‚ although the entire country experiences the worst peak-hour traffic on Monday mornings‚ Johannesburg's traffic is the worst‚ adding on an average of 45 minutes to a trip that would otherwise take only an hour.

Globally‚ Johannesburg is ranked the 20th most congested city in the world‚ while Cape Town is at 45th‚ Pretoria 67th and Durban at 95th.

According to TomTom‚ some of the most congested cities in the world are Moscow‚ Instanbul‚ Rio De Janeiro‚ Warsaw‚ Palermo‚ Marseille and São Paulo.

Source: I-Net Bridge

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