Dutch GPS giant TomTom has just released it's annual Traffic Index for 2015, ranking 146 global cities according to just how infuriating their rush hour traffic can be.
In this year's listing, based on data gleamed from TomTom devices over the course of 2014, Chongqing ranked as the most congested city in China and the 12th worst in the world with congestion levels of 38 percent - meaning that traffic during rush hour is 38 percent worse than normal times. When just considering evening rush hour congestion, Chongqing shoots up to fifth worst in the world.
READ MORE: Ambulance in Chongqing takes 12 hours to reach hospital after motorists block emergency lane
Chongqing was followed by Tianjin (14th), Beijing (15th), Guangzhou (17th), Chengdu (19th), Shanghai (24th), Shijiazhuang (25th), Fuzhou (28th), Shenyang (29th), Hangzhou (30th), Shenzhen (31st), Zhuhai (32nd), Changchun (35th), Changsha (39th), Nanjing (42nd), Quanzhou (49th), Ningbo (52nd), Wuhan (54th), Xiamen (80th), Suzhou (82nd), Dongguan (83rd) and Wuxi (105th).
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Asian cities were generally under-represented on the list (apart, obviously, from top-ranking Istanbul), and Taipei somehow managed to rank higher than Beijing, Bangkok and New Delhi.
Experts in traffic congestion remind readers that the Traffic Index is, after all, a PR exercise for a company that markets GPS navigation systems. People who use TomTom devices tend to be those who spend a lot of time in their cars and use the technology so as to avoid traffic, vastly exaggerating the extent of the problem.
Cities' congestion rating are also based on the disparity between rush hour and non-rush hour traffic, meaning that cities with consistently bad traffic at all hours well rank lower than cities with generally smooth traffic but a few traffic choke points come evening rush hour.
[Images via TomTom]
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