TomTom Releases 6th edition of its Traffic Index

November 8, 2013  - By
Image: GPS World

TomTom released the 6th edition of its Traffic Index which reveals that on average, commuters around the world are spending 8 working days a year stuck in traffic.

According to the announcement, the Traffic Index is the world’s most accurate barometer of traffic congestion in 169 cities across six continents. It compares travel times during non-congested hours (free flow) with travel times in peak hours. The Index takes into account local roads and highways. Based on these comparisons, the report has compiled the top ten most congested cities, ranked by overall Congestion Level, in Q2 2013, these were:

1. Moscow

2. Istanbul

3. Rio de Janeiro

4. Warsaw

5. Palermo

6. Marseille

7. São Paulo

8. Rome

9. Paris

10. Stockholm

“We are seeing a clear pattern which shows that congestion levels increase as economies emerge from recession. The traditional responses to tackling congestion, like building new roads or widening existing ones are no longer proving effective. The way traffic is managed needs significant change,” says TomTom’s Chief Executive Officer, Harold Goddijn.

TomTom reports that 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.

“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.” added Goddijn.

This is posted in GIS News, Mobile Devices

About the Author: Eric Gakstatter

Eric Gakstatter has been involved in the GPS/GNSS industry for more than 20 years. For 10 years, he held several product management positions in the GPS/GNSS industry, managing the development of several medium- and high-precision GNSS products along with associated data-collection and post-processing software. Since 2000, he's been a power user of GPS/GNSS technology as well as consulted with capital management companies; federal, state and local government agencies; and private companies on the application and/or development of GPS technology. Since 2006, he's been a contributor to GPS World magazine, serving as editor of the monthly Survey Scene newsletter until 2015, and as editor of Geospatial Solutions monthly newsletter for GPS World's sister site Geospatial Solutions, which focuses on GIS and geospatial technologies.