Bengaluru has topped list of cities with worst traffic in the world, according to a report. Bengaluru residents lose 243 hours on average (10 days and 3 hour) every year due to traffic. To put it in perspective, the report by TomTom, a Netherlands-based company, claimed that an average Bengaluru resident could have watched 215 episodes of Game of Thrones in time spent on the road.
Four Indian cities, including Bengaluru, have been ranked among the top 10 most-congested cities. Mumbai is on number four, followed by Pune on number 5 and New Delhi on Number 8.
As per the report, Bengaluru recorded a congestion level at 71 per cent in 2019. Philippines' capital Manila, which was on number 2, in the traffic index also had 71 per cent congestion level. Bengaluru saw the least traffic on April 6 last year, with 30 per cent average congestion. However, on August 20, the city witnessed the most traffic at 103 per cent.
Mumbai's road congestion was at 65 per cent, whereas Pune's traffic congestion was at 59 per cent, the report said. New Delhi saw a decline of 2 per cent in its traffic congestion in 2019 from 58 per cent in 2018, it added. The national capital's congestion level was at 56 per cent.
In New Delhi, a person spent 190 hours in rush hours over the year, the report said, adding that a person would have cooked 5,507 pancakes and 9,163 cookies during this time.
In Mumbai, Friday saw the worst rush hour. Travelling after 8 pm on Friday could save up to 4 hours per year (for a 30 minute commute). A Mumbai person spent "8 days 17 hours" per year in traffic. During this time, one could have listened to "Imagine" song by John Lennon 4,012 times.
TomTom covered 416 cities across 57 countries on 6 continents in its Traffic Index. The company stated that 239 cities showed a rise in traffic congestion between 2018 and 2019. Only 63 cities saw a decline in road congestion.