Economic downturn leads to 18% drop in European traffic congestion

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Traffic patterns in 2013 continue on a downward spiral, with Q1 of 2013 showing a further 23 percent decline in European congestion, with drivers across Europe spending 27 hours combined less in traffic compared to the same time last year suggesting that the EU economy could be facing another tough year.

According to the INRIX Index, Europe’s Worst Countries for Traffic Congestion in 2012 were:

Country	Hours wasted in traffic in 2012	% Change 2012 from 2011	% Change Q1 2012 – Q1 2013	Unemployment Rate
Belgium	59	-12%	-1%	7.4%
Netherlands	52	-15%	-26%	5.8%
Germany	37	-14%	-23%	10.5%
France	37	-12%	-6%	5.4%
UK	29	-19%	-11%	7.9%
Luxembourg	29	+29%	+38%	5.1%
Austria	25	-19%	-39%	4.5%
Spain	25	-38%	-57%	26.6%
Switzerland	23	-11%	0%	3.2%
Italy	22	-34%	-33%	11.1%
Ireland	19	-9%	-10%	14.7%
Hungary	15	-24%	-74%	10.9%
Portugal	11	-21%	-68%	16.3%

‘There has always been strong correlation between the state of the economy and the level of traffic congestion on our roads. It tells us if people are employed and driving to work, going out to eat or doing some shopping, as well as whether or not businesses are shipping products,’ said Bryan Mistele, CEO, INRIX. ‘Considering unemployment hit record highs in 2012 and European household wealth dropped 13.6% to $10.9 trillion it’s hardly surprising that traffic levels have dropped significantly.’

  According to the report, the Top 25 Most Congested Cities in Europe and annual average hours wasted in traffic are:

Rank	City	Hours wasted in 2012	Hours wasted in 2011	Annual Change in hours	Percent drop since 2011
1	Bruxelles	83	92	-8	-9%
2	Antwerpen	77	88	-11	-12%
3	London commute zone	72	79	-7	-9%
4	Rotterdam	71	81	-10	-13%
5	Stuttgart	65	70	-5	-7%
6	Paris	63	70	-6	-9%
7	Utrecht	61	74	-13	-18%
8	Amsterdam	60	70	-9	-13%
9	Köln	59	70	-11	-15%
10	Gent	53	62	-9	-15%
11	s Gravenhage	52	59	-7	-12%
12	Hamburg	51	62	-11	-18%
13	Milano	51	75	-24	-32%
14	Dusseldorf	51	61	-10	-16%
15	Karlsruhe	48	53	-5	-10%
16	Lyon	46	54	-8	-14%
17	Bordeaux	46	51	-5	-9%
18	Gr. Manchester	45	54	-9	-17%
19	Munchen	44	48	-4	-8%
20	Eindhoven	43	49	-6	-13%
21	Charleroi	42	46	-4	-9%
22	Freiburg im Breisgau	42	45	-3	-7%
23	Toulon	41	44	-3	-6%
24	Grenoble	40	43	-3	-6%
25	Toulouse	40	47	-7	-14%