Beijing Named China's 3rd Worst City For Traffic

By Daniel Mannering

China’s cities hit the high end of the scale in a recent report published by TomTom detailing worldwide road congestion.

Out of 22 Chinese cities making the list, Chengdu ranked the highest with a global standing of 9th in the world for worst traffic. Mexico City topped the overall list, while Bangkok and Istanbul came in second and third respectively.

The TomTom Traffic Index complied traffic data from 295 cities worldwide, creating a detailed international index and ranking system based on 14 trillion travel time measurements, as well as additional testimonials and analysis provided by a series of experts. The aim of the report is to provide users with concise information regarding road networks and the relative impact on travel times in their own cities.

The ranking system itself works by measuring the extra time added to journeys and converting that additional time into a more tangible number. For instance, if traffic congestion increased the length of an average journey from 20 to 30 minutes, that 50 percent rise would represent a Traffic Index of 50.

Out of the 295 cities represented, China laid claim to 18 spots in the top 50, resulting in a pretty impressive display of road-rage inducing waiting times.

Here's how the 22 Chinese cities fared:

1. Chengdu — World Rank 9, Congestion Level 41 percent

2. Tianjin — 12, 39 percent

3. Beijing — 14, 38 percent

4. Hangzhou —17, 38 percent

5. Chongqing — 20, 38 percent

6. Changsha — 21, 37 percent

7. Guangzhou — 22, 37 percent

8. Shenzhen — 23, 37 percent

9. Shenyang — 24, 37 percent

10. Fuzhou — 26, 37 percent

11. Shijiazhuang — 27, 36 percent

12. Shanghai — 28, 36 percent

13. Zhuhai — 34, 34 percent

14. Wuhan — 35, 34 percent

15. Nanjing — 37, 33 percent

16. Changchun — 38, 33 percent

17. Quanzhou — 49, 30 percent

18. Ningbo — 50, 30 percent

19. Xiamen — 69, 27 percent

20. Dongguan — 76, 27 percent

21. Suzhou — 80, 26 percent

22. Wuxi — 110, 22 percent

Around Greater China, Taipei ranked 19th in the world with congestion levels of 39 percent. Aside from the global ranking, the data also revealed a marked trend of increasing road congestion in the Middle Kingdom, with 16 cities showing a rise of one to five percent on last year’s figures.

Meanwhile, the Top 10 cities globally ranked as follows:

1. Mexico City, Mexico — Congestion Level 59 percent

2. Bangkok, Thailand — 57 percent

3. Istanbul, Turkey — 50 percent

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 47 percent

5. Moscow, Russia — 44 percent

6. Bucharest, Romania — 43 percent

7. Salvador, Brazil — 43 percent

8. Recife, Brazil — 43 percent

9. Chengdu, China — 41 percent

10. Los Angeles, USA — 41 percent

[Top image via The Telegraph]

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