Bangkok is ranked 11th in the world’s worst traffic, according to the 2019 Traffic Index by TomTom, a location technology specialist based in Amsterdam.
The company has reported the Traffic Index for nine years. It studied the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries and found that traffic congestion has increased globally during the past years. Some 239 cities (57%) in the new Traffic Index report had increased congestion levels between 2018 and 2019, with only 63 cities showing measurable decreases.
Bengaluru in India takes the top spot this year with drivers spending an average of 71% extra travel time in traffic. Next are Manila (70%), Bogota in Colombia (68%), Mumbai (65%) and Pune (59%), also in India.
The sixth city on the list is Moscow (59%), followed by Lima in Peru (57%), New Delhi (56%), Istanbul (55%) and Jakarta (53.29%).
Bangkok is 11th, remaining in the same position as the year before, at 53.23% congestion level. It means that a trip will take at least 53% more time than it would during Bangkok’s baseline non-congested conditions.
The peak hours are 5 pm-7 pm on Friday when those who travel by car in Bangkok have to spend 110%-116% more time on the road. For the rush hour period in the morning, drivers spend 24 minutes more for a 30-minute trip and another 30 minutes more for a 30 minute trip in the evening.
For the whole year, the time loss through traffic congestion during rush hours accounts for eight days and 15 hours, or almost the travel time one can drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
To avoid bad traffic, visitors to Bangkok may consider travel between 9 am and 4 pm or consider alternatives such as ride-sharing, public transport or non-motorised options like cycling.
