Bengaluru traffic: 3rd slowest city globally, reveals TomTom report

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Bengaluru’s infamous traffic congestion has once again captured global attention. The 2024 TomTom Traffic Index ranks Bengaluru as the third slowest city in the world, following Barranquilla (Colombia) and Kolkata. The annual report by the Dutch location technology firm evaluates traffic conditions in major cities worldwide, and this year’s findings underline the dire state of Bengaluru’s traffic. According to the report, it now takes an average of 30 minutes and 10 seconds to travel 10 kilometres in Bengaluru, an increase of 50 seconds from 2023.

In comparison, Barranquilla commuters take 36 minutes and 6 seconds, while Kolkata’s average stands at 34 minutes and 33 seconds. Pune also made its debut on the global slowest cities list, securing the fourth place. Within India, Kolkata leads as the most congested city, with Bengaluru following closely behind. TomTom data shows that Bengaluru’s travel time for 10 kilometres was 28 minutes and 10 seconds in 2023 and 29 minutes and 9 seconds in 2022 when it ranked as the world’s second-slowest city.

Globally, London remains the most congested city, with an average speed of just 14 km/h. Other cities like Dublin (16 km/h), Milan (17 km/h), Lima (17 km/h), and Toronto (18 km/h) also grapple with slow traffic. Bengaluru’s 2022 average speed of 18 km/h positioned it as the slowest among Indian cities that year. The situation is compounded by Bengaluru’s growing number of private vehicles. The city, which surpassed New Delhi in private vehicle numbers, now hosts approximately 2.5 million private cars, with nearly 2,000 new vehicle registrations daily.