Imagine spending 1 complete week sitting in peak traffic. Your brain started hurting after reading this, right? Well, if you live in Bangalore, Karnataka, or Pune, Maharashtra, then you are actually one of those people who, on average, spend this much time sitting in traffic. Recently, a report has been shared online, as per which Bengaluru is the slowest city in entire Asia, followed by Pune in second place.
Cities with Worst Traffic in Asia
According to the TomTom Traffic Index 2023, residents from Bengaluru spend an average travel time of 28 minutes and 10 seconds per 10 km during peak traffic. This means that, in total, during a year, people are spending around 132 hours getting frustrated in peak traffic.
Additionally, Pune, Maharashtra, sits second on the same list, with an average time of 27 minutes and 50 seconds. The TomTom Index highlighted that a total of 382 cities across 54 countries were analyzed. As per the index, Manila, Philippines, ranked third, with an average time of 27 minutes and 20 seconds.
Also, Taichung (Taiwan) has averaged 26 minutes and 50 seconds. Lastly, Sapporo, Japan, sits in fifth place with a time of around 26 minutes and 50 seconds. Globally, the city of London tops the list with an average time of 37 minutes and 20 seconds per 11 km.
Why Is Traffic in Bengaluru and Pune So High?
Well, there are multiple reasons behind this growing problem of traffic. The first reason is that, due to the booming population of these cities, the roads are mostly blocked. Also, another major reason is the number of privately owned vehicles. People in such cities generally do not take public transportation like buses.
What also adds to the traffic in these cities are the peak-hour gridlocks. During peak hours, car commuters spend 1-1.5 hours daily one way in traffic. Additionally, two-wheeler riders average around 35-40 minutes per trip.
People in Bangalore Are Now Taking the Metro
Due to the increasing traffic in Bangalore, residents of this city are now opting to travel on metros. Of the people who were asked if they would like to travel in Bangalore, 95 percent stated that they would love to switch to the metro, along with the ones that have already changed.
Also, in order to reduce traffic congestion, Bangalore has now started using the Bangalore Adaptive Traffic Control System (BATCS). This system utilizes AI to optimize the timings of traffic signals. Currently, it is deployed in 69 junctions, and the city is planning to expand this system to 500 junctions by March of this year.
Commuters Abandoned Cars on Bengaluru Flyover
Completely Jammed from past 1.5 hrs in the #electroniccity flyover. I must have reached my home now which is 30kms away. Logged out at 5:20 and we are still stuck! We can see most of the employees of various companies frustrated and starting to walk. @madivalatrfps pic.twitter.com/wqvXuIArN6
— Maria Stefina! 🤍 (@MariaStefina) October 23, 2024
Recently, showing how the traffic in the city of Bangalore has worsened, it was reported that many commuters who were stuck on the Electronic City flyover for 2.5-3 hours abandoned their vehicles and walked to reach their homes.
What happened was rainwater accumulated on the roads in the city, which made things more difficult for commuters. So the Bengaluru traffic police closed one side of the flyover connecting the tech hub in Electronic City to central Bengaluru. Due to this, people were standing in traffic for more than 3 hours straight, and out of frustration, many left their vehicles on the flyover and went home walking.
