Photo for illustration only. (Photo: Dan Gold/Unsplash)
The latest statistics on the average time motorists spend in traffic jams show that residents of Pretoria and Cape Town are stuck in traffic for almost a week on average every year, when all the hours are added up. However, this is much less than in other major world cities.
Technology company Tom Tom, which specializes in GPS devices, has released its latest research into traffic patterns around the world. This research looks at the traffic patterns of 390 countries and is updated hourly. Statistics about the traffic, such as how many traffic jams there are in an area, can also be observed while it is happening.
According to this information, Pretoria is the city where local motorists sit in traffic the longest, followed by Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. In Pretoria and Cape Town, motorists spend around 150 hours (almost a week) each year in rush hour traffic.
Motorists in East London, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Durban spend 132 hours, 136 hours, 123 hours and 112 hours in traffic each year respectively. This amounts to between four and five days in traffic.
Although this is a long time in itself, it is less than half the time that motorists in London, the city with the worst rush hour traffic in the world, spend in traffic.
At 14 km/h it takes motorists in London longer than 36 minutes to cover 10 km in rush hour traffic. This amounts to 325 hours in rush hour traffic. Residents of Bengaluru in India take 29 minutes at the same distance (18 km/h) and motorists in Dublin drive for 28 minutes at 10 km (17 km/h).
South African cities appear much lower on the list. Pretoria is 147th on the list, followed by Cape Town (156), East London (172), Bloemfontein (183), Johannesburg (221) and Durban (279).
Of all the cities looked at, motorists in Almere, the Netherlands, spend the least amount of time in rush hour traffic. According to the statistics, it takes motorists here only 8 minutes and 20 seconds to cover 10 km in rush hour traffic, therefore they can do it at a speed of 67 km/h and in total only 68 hours, or three days, on the road during through rush hour traffic.
How much do these traffic jams cost?
Photo for illustration only. (Photo: Megan Swart/Rhewal)
Given the so-called cost of living crisis, Tom Tom decided this year to include the financial effects of the rising fuel costs in the statistics.
If real changes were made to employers’ idea of a modern workplace, motorists could save thousands of rands on petrol or diesel every year.
Pretorians spend around R7 500 annually on petrol and diesel when they travel only 10 km in heavy traffic.
If Pretorians worked from home only one day a week – and the distance between their home and work is 10 km – they would save 29 hours of travel time annually, as well as R1 500 in petrol or diesel.
Should Pretoria workers work three days a week from home, they can count on an extra 87 hours – or three and a half days – per year which can save them R4 500 on petrol or diesel.
Kapenaars spend around R7 100 annually on petrol and diesel to travel 10 km in city traffic. If they worked from home only one day a week – and the distance between their home and work is 10 km – they would save 27 hours of travel time annually, as well as R1 400 in petrol or diesel.
Three days a week of homework can ensure an extra 81 hours a year which can save them R4 200 in petrol or diesel.
Those in Durban, who already spend the least time in traffic jams in South Africa, can reduce the time and money it costs them even further.
Normally it costs motorists in Durban around R6 800 per year in petrol or diesel to travel 10 km in the city. If they work from home one or three days – and the distance between their home and work is only 10 km – they will save 22 hours and 67 hours respectively in travel time annually, as well as R1 300 and R4 000 respectively in petrol or diesel.
- Read Tom Tom’s research on traffic jams around the world here.
