In an index dedicated to the world's top ten worst traffic-hit cities in 2023, Bengaluru and Pune are in sixth and seventh place respectively. As per the report by the Amsterdam-based location technology specialist TomTom, the average travel time per 10 km in “India's Silicon Valley” was 28 minutes 10 seconds in 2023.
Pune, on the other hand, stands slightly behind Bengaluru, with 27 minutes and 50 seconds for a similar area last year.
The national capital of India, Delhi and the financial capital of India, Mumbai also occupy prominent spots on the TomTom Traffic Index. While Delhi is in the 44th place, Mumbai stands at the 54th place.
In Delhi, on average it took a commuter 21 minutes and 40 seconds to drive 10 km in 2023, while in Mumbai the commuters spent 21 minutes and 20 seconds on the road to cover a similar distance.
It must be noted that the IT capital of India, Bengaluru, was named the second most congested city in 2023 after Ireland's capital Dublin.
Additionally, September 27, 2023, was the worst day to travel through Bengaluru as the average travel time to drive 10 km was recorded at 32 minutes.
However, in Pune, September 8, 2023, when it took about 34 minutes to cover a distance of 10 km was adjudged the worst day to travel through the city. In 2023, Pune was named the sixth most congested city in the world.
The report also suggested that yearly the commuters in Bengaluru spent 257-hour time driving, due to 132 hours of congestion. It added that a commuter could finish approximately 51 books in this time duration.
In light of this congestion, the report informed that annually 984kg of carbon dioxide was emitted by people in Bengaluru which requires 98 trees to be grown over a year to absorb it.
Talking about Pune, it revealed that the people spent 256 hours driving due to 128 hours of congestion. However, the carbon emission in Pune—1007 kg—was higher than in Bengaluru.
The report also suggested that at least planting 101 trees is required to absorb this level of carbon emission.
Delhi commuters spent 191 hours yearly on driving, due to 81 hours of congestion, the report found. To put this time frame into context, in this duration one can finish about 38 books. This duration has also resulted in 886 kg of carbon emission, which can be absorbed by 89 trees grown annually.
The commuters in Mumbai spent 198 hours of their time driving yearly, due to 92 hours of congestion. During this time frame, a person can read approximately 39 books, the report added. However, the carbon emission in Mumbai—1004 kg—was the highest compared to other cities. About 100 trees are required to be grown over a year to absorb this level of carbon emission.
The traffic index evaluated 387 cities across 55 countries on six continents by their average travel time, fuel costs, and CO2 emissions. The data was based on over 600 million in-car navigation systems and smartphones.
