The longest traffic jam. The biggest traffic jams: interesting facts, ratings

British media have published a ranking of cities with the worst traffic jams in the world. Congestion calculations were used to prepare it road networks in percentage terms and data on the amount of wasted time and fuel, writes the RBC daily newspaper on June 16.

As expected, Moscow entered the TOP 15 most congested cities in the world, but the Russian capital was quite far from first place - in eighth position. Analysts believe that Moscow is the leader in terms of time to overcome traffic jams: it averages 2.5 hours.

The modest Polish city of Wroclaw closes the ranking: the congestion rate on its streets reaches 33.1%. The US capital Washington is in 14th place: 560 million liters of fuel are wasted on the city streets every year. Among the cities representative of the United States, more serious transport problems are observed in New York and Los Angeles. Thus, the former boasts two of the slowest highways in the United States during rush hour.

The only participant in the ranking from Africa was Johannesburg: traffic problems in South Africa's largest metropolis and one of the most densely populated cities on the continent have become even more serious over the past three years. Residents of other parts of the world also have to deal with terrible traffic jams, in particular residents of the Indian capital New Delhi and motorists from Mexico City.

As for Europe, residents of Warsaw, Paris and Brussels suffer the most from traffic congestion. The Polish capital is one of the most congested cities in Europe, but the ring road in the metropolis is still not built. Residents of Paris spend an average of 70 hours a year stuck in traffic jams.

Second place in the ranking is occupied by Beijing: experts say that designers simply cannot keep up with the automobile boom that has swept the Chinese capital. There are six ring roads in the city, but traffic is becoming denser: in 2010. a 100-kilometer traffic jam formed here, which resolved only after 10 days.

Sao Paulo was recognized as the most unpleasant city for motorists in terms of traffic jams. In 2008 A traffic jam 265 kilometers long was recorded in the Brazilian metropolis. Over the past three years, the traffic jam situation in Sao Paulo has not improved at all.

TOP 15 cities in the world with the worst traffic jams:

1) Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2) Beijing (China)

3) Brussels (Belgium)

4) Paris (France)

5) Warsaw (Poland)

6) Mexico City (Mexico)

7) Los Angeles (USA)

8) Moscow (Russia)

9) London (UK)

10) New Delhi (India)

11) New York (USA)

12) Johannesburg (South Africa)

13) Bangkok (Thailand)

14) Washington (USA)

15) Wroclaw (Poland).

As previously reported, kilometer-long traffic jams are periodically recorded in Kyiv. They, as a rule, paralyze traffic in the 15 most problematic areas in the capital. To solve problems with congestion in the capital, in 2012 it is planned to build a tunnel, which will be laid from the new Darnitsky bridge.

Let us note that Bagnet previously wrote that the only tunnel in Kyiv worth 350 million euros, the construction of which has already been planned in detail, will run from Victory Square to the Livoberezhna metro station. In total, it is planned to open six tunnels for automobile traffic in the capital by 2025.

As for the tunnel from the new Darnitsky bridge, it will make life easier for residents of Rusanovka, Bereznyakov, Kharkov massif - it will be much easier for them to get to the center of the capital. The Dnieper Highway in the area of ​​the Paton Bridge, where there are now constant traffic jams, will be relieved, as well as the Paton Bridge itself - those drivers who now drive along it towards the center will be able to choose the new Darnitsky Bridge and go directly through the tunnel to Kikvidze, and then to Lesi Boulevard Ukrainian women.

Traffic jams, as a rule, are measured in kilometers, then in hours, and, most importantly, in suddenness. And almost every metropolis in the world freezes during rush hours due to huge congestion.

Which city can “boast” the most long plugs– the issue is still controversial. But there is a list of places where there is a huge chance of getting into a car queue.

Life in a slow stream

Today, according to research, Manchester residents live the longest in traffic jams and are unable to move. Everyone spends an average of 72 hours a year dealing with congestion. Parisians drive a little faster. Forced downtime behind the wheel of a car takes away about 70 hours of their life every year. Residents of Cologne spend less time on the road - motorists sit in cars in the middle of the road for only 57 hours a year. London can provide 54 hours of idle driving each year. And this despite the fact that there are quite few traffic jams in these cities, at least they rarely catch your eye. But Moscow, which is famous for its congestion, according to experts, offers only 40 hours of downtime per year.

Cork record holders

Beijing boasts record traffic jams. The longest traffic jam recorded was in 2010. At the end of summer, the Beijing-Tibet route stopped. The jam reached 260 kilometers in length. The traffic jam occurred on August 14th due to a combination of different reasons. This includes road work on the highway section, traffic congestion, and, as expected, several car accidents. Every day the traffic jam grew. By August 23, she reached the 100-kilometer mark, and six days later, part of the 260-kilometer route stood dead in place.

A long traffic jam that occurred on the national highway from Beijing to Hebei province shocked the world. However, residents of the Chinese capital have long been accustomed to epic traffic jams. The city is surrounded by six ring roads, it itself has many highway and government restrictions on car use, but despite this, city planners cannot keep up with the huge influx of new cars. And they are bought by a fairly large number of the 20 million population of Beijing. Moreover, many people get behind the wheel for the first time. According to statistics, more than 2 thousand iron horses are purchased per day.

That's why almost 70 percent of Beijing drivers now admit that from time to time they simply can't stand the congestion and return home. Almost all Beijing motorists said traffic jams affected their productivity at school or work. And here a common person I spend almost an hour stuck in traffic jams getting to work. Beijing is trying to solve common problem in a rather non-standard way: with huge buses on solar powered, which rise above the traffic jams.

Walking is faster

The Russian capital is not lagging behind the Chinese capital. Huge traffic jams accumulate here every day. The average waiting period for traffic in traffic jams is two and a half hours. And here the reason is not only in the huge flow of cars, but also in road, weather conditions and due to the human factor. Russian Ministry transport says that each year poor road conditions result in more than $12 billion in lost traffic. This figure is higher than Iceland's GDP. And the mortality rate on Russian roads is twice as high as in European Union. And this despite the fact that the number of cars in Russia is three times less.

The Kremlin tried to solve the traffic jam issue more than once. However, given the fact that Russia’s road infrastructure is in 11th place in the world ranking, and budget expenditures on this item are not growing, the problem does not budge. Meanwhile, the capital needs at least 420 kilometers of new roads. According to research, within a few recent years almost half of Muscovites found themselves stuck in traffic jams that lasted three and more hours. The figure is impressive, and it is worth adding that in Moscow there are about 650 traffic jams every day.

Road nightmare

North America's nightmare, some say, is Los Angeles' clogged freeways. But it was not so. Mexico City is almost 4 times worse for people who travel by car. Mexico's capital has a truly Darwinian approach to driving, with about 1,500 pedestrians killed in the city every year. Despite efforts to reduce traffic congestion, which is caused by a small number of roads and large number people, in Mexico City drivers still complain about the traffic situation. And they say that traffic jams are poisoning their lives. More than half of motorists claim that traffic jams are growing on the streets that were planned by the Aztecs.

The biggest traffic jam in Moscow

By the way, constant street protests are worsening the situation in Mexico City. There are eight or more of them every day. People clog the already difficult streets. By the way, the city even has a special website where all the protests and the likelihood of traffic jams that arise from them are reported.

World record

The city has a world record for the longest traffic jam. It appeared on May 9, 2008. Then the traffic jam stretched for 265 kilometers.

Many visitors to Sao Paulo may wonder why almost all drivers do unusual things while driving, namely shaving, watching movies and playing video games. This happens due to the fact that residents constantly find themselves in 3-4 hour traffic jams. On average they stretch for a hundred or more kilometers. Therefore, drivers sit in their cars as if at home. The roads of Sao Paulo, which has a population of 20 million, cannot cope with the flow of traffic, and the city authorities are not making serious efforts to correct the situation. The sprawling, fast-growing, decentralized city, which covers 7,700 square kilometers, suffers from unnecessary traffic jams due to the lack of functioning ring roads.

Are the traffic jams caused by summer residents?

Car congestion cannot be reduced by dedicated bus lanes, limited car use systems and an ever-increasing number of subway stations. Traffic jams cost the Treasury $2.3 billion every year. Therefore, the terrible transport situation has turned Sao Paulo into a city where the world's second largest helicopter fleet has settled.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

So, record traffic jams...

A traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet highway at the entrance to the Chinese capital appeared on August 14, 2010, due to road repairs in the city. On Monday, August 23, its length was 100 kilometers. At the same time it was reported that the cars practically did not move. To prevent the situation from getting worse, the government sent about 400 police officers to “patrol” the traffic jam. Thanks to their actions, this traffic jam has decreased to almost 65 km. However, soon the length of the traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet highway towards the capital of China increased sharply and increased by more than 2.5 times in three days. Its length reached 260 kilometers.

Tens of thousands of drivers stuck in traffic waited " disaster", while away the time playing cards or chess. Moreover, the greatest irritation was caused by local residents who decided to make extra money from someone else's misfortune: they sold water and instant noodles to motorists at many times inflated prices.

The problem of traffic jams is very relevant today; almost all major cities and capitals face it. Many studies are being carried out and measures are being introduced to prevent traffic congestion.

IBM (IBM Commuter Pain Survey) decided to conduct its own study of traffic problems on the roads. As a result, 8,192 motorists from 20 cities located on 5 continents were surveyed.

As a result of the calculations, it was determined that 87% of the surveyed motorists were stuck in traffic jams, with the average waiting time being one hour.

When compiling it, 10 indicators were taken into account, the main ones being travel time, waiting time in traffic jams, and the price of fuel. Thus, the top five “leaders” included the following cities: Beijing, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Moscow, New Delhi. According to the negative influence rating from 1 to 100, they have the following ratings: 99,99,97,84,81, respectively.

That. Moscow was in fourth place among the largest megacities in the world in terms of traffic difficulty. It is worth noting that Moscow has distinguished itself in many respects - it has the longest traffic jams, and the capital's drivers are among the most aggressive. Muscovites are the most likely people in the world to miss work due to traffic congestion.

Brussels was recognized as the busiest in Europe, while the second and third places were taken by the Polish cities of Warsaw and Wroclaw. In them, more than 30% of all cars get into traffic jams every day.

The top ten European cities with the busiest roads look like this: in the following way:

1. Brussels.
2. Warsaw.
3. Wroclaw.
4. London.
5. Edinburgh.
6. Dublin.
7. Belfast.
8. Marseille.
9. Paris.
10. Luxembourg.

The Spanish Zaragoza was named the most congestion-free city in Europe, where only 1.5% of all roads experience traffic difficulties. Valencia and Zagreb were also recognized as the least congested cities.

Many people would like to travel back to ancient times, because it seems that life was much simpler then. Fresh air, less people, and most importantly - no traffic jams! You will be surprised, but the first traffic jams appeared in ancient times. Where did it all start and where was the biggest traffic jam in the world recorded?

History of traffic jams

The great and powerful Roman Empire was actively developing its political and trade relations, and roads would be very useful for this. Back in the 5th century, the Romans had special rules and regulations for road construction. At that time, it was the Roman Empire that had the densest network of roads, which were divided depending on the means of transportation along them. Thus, there were separate roads for horses and chariots.

Rules first appeared under Emperor Caesar traffic, but, despite the excellent transport organization, the first traffic jams also appeared in Ancient Rome. After the collapse of the Empire, movement in its territories was no longer so violent.

In the 17th century, with the growth of cities and a clear increase in the number of people, the phenomenon of traffic jams occurred again. Carriages, moving along small European streets, often could not pass safely. There were too many of them, which made movement much more difficult.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of subways briefly helped solve the problem of traffic congestion, taking on part of the passenger flow. However, traffic jams soon returned and are still an unpleasant part of many city residents.

World records. The biggest traffic jam in the world

People living in big cities are bound to encounter traffic congestion. They are a cluster Vehicle on separate area roads. At the same time, cars move much slower than expected, or do not move at all. The severity of traffic jams is measured by kilometers of vehicle traffic, or time spent in a traffic jam.

The first largest traffic jam in the world was recorded in the USA, in the state of Washington. Then, in 1969, a huge number of people rushed to the Woodstock festival, creating a traffic jam 20 miles long.

For residents of Brazil, the traffic jam in Washington would seem like flowers. In 2008, the longest traffic jam in history was recorded in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo. The length of the traffic jam was 292 kilometers.

The country that undoubtedly breaks all records for the number of vehicles and has the largest traffic jam in the world is China. This traffic jam should rather be called the longest, since the drivers spent about ten days in it. In 2010, the Beijing-Tibet route seemed to freeze. There were many reasons for this: accidents, traffic overload, renovation work on road. Enterprising traders even organized food trucks.

Fighting traffic jams

Road congestion with freight and by car growing in The largest traffic jam in the world, formed in China, is irrefutable proof of this. Many countries have already begun to address these problems. For example, in Italy, the center of Rome is prohibited from visiting the center of Rome by car to anyone except those living in the area.

Residents of Beijing cannot use their own car every day. For each driver there is a separate day in the week when he can use the car, depending on the last digit of the number. On Monday, for example, only those whose numbers end in 1 and 5, etc. can travel.

Conclusion

Perhaps using a car is very convenient and much more pleasant than crowding with strangers on the subway. However, the fact that traffic jams create even more inconvenience and take up much more time cannot be denied. Both the largest traffic jam in the world, which occurred in Brazil, and the longest in China, only confirm that the time has come for people to change something.

I hate traffic jams! All the fun of a Friday evening is ruined by being stuck in traffic jams. The road to Dubna (100 km) sometimes takes seven hours, five of which I spend on the Moscow Ring Road. They say that a person spends 4 days in his LIFE listening to phone beeps, and some people are stuck in traffic jams for 4 days in a YEAR!

In Russia, of course, Muscovites get the most. We top the list of the worst traffic jams in the country. But we are luckier than the residents of Stuttgart or San Francisco. Where are the most hellish traffic jams on the planet, read under the cut...

No. 10. Brussels - 70 hours

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the Brussels-Capital Region. Brussels houses the institutions of the French and Flemish Communities and Flanders, the headquarters of the European Union, the NATO office, and the secretariat of the Benelux countries.

No. 9. Cologne - 71 hours

Cologne is a million-plus city, the fourth most populous and third largest city in Germany, as well as one of the largest economic and cultural centers of the country. In addition, Cologne is the largest center of a 10-million-strong supra-glomeration of the Rhine-Ruhr region and the center of a 2-million-strong monocentric agglomeration. Cologne is one of the oldest cities in Germany, which has played a significant role in European history throughout its existence, dating back to the Roman era. Cologne is famous for its main temple - Cologne Cathedral, one of the main Catholic churches Germany. The area of ​​the city is 405 km2, the population is about 1 million people.

Cologne is the German capital traffic jams. On average, people here spend about 71 hours a year stuck in traffic.

No. 8. Antwerp - 71 hours

Antwerp is the second most important city in Belgium. Also is seaport, is one of the twenty largest ports in the world and is the second in Europe after the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The area of ​​the city is 204 km2, the population is 510,610 people. On average, people here spend about 71 hours a year stuck in traffic.

No. 7. Stuttgart - 73 hours

Stuttgart is a city in Germany, one of the most important industrial centers in Germany, as well as an important Cultural Center. The area of ​​the city is 207 km2, the population is about 613 thousand people.

Residents of Stuttgart spend an average of 73 hours in traffic jams each year.

No. 6. New York - 73 hours

NY - The largest city USA, part of one of the largest agglomerations peace.
New York is the world's most important financial, political, economic and cultural center. The area of ​​the city is 1214 km2, the population is about 8.4 million people.

New York never sleeps, so there are traffic jams here at any time of the day. New Yorkers spend an average of 73 hours stuck in traffic every year.

No. 5. Houston - 74 hours

Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Texas.

The city is a leading global center for the energy industry, and the city's economy also includes businesses in the fields of aeronautics, transportation and healthcare.
The area of ​​the city is 1552 km2, the population is about 2.3 million people.

Traffic congestion in Houston is caused by large quantity vehicles that exceed the maximum throughput roads and due to poorly developed public transport in the city. During rush hours, all the main highways of the city are jammed with traffic jams. Houstonians spend an average of 74 hours stuck in traffic each year.

No. 4. San Francisco - 75 hours

San Francisco is a city and county in the state of California, USA, named after the Catholic saint Francis of Assisi.

San Francisco is famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable car system and Chinatown.

Traffic and congestion are a way of life in San Francisco. San Franciscans spend an average of 75 hours in traffic every year.

The area of ​​the city is 121 km2, the population is about 850 thousand people.

No. 3. Washington - 75 hours

Washington is a city and the capital of the United States of America. The area of ​​the city is 177 km2, the population is about 650 thousand people.

No. 2. Los Angeles - 81 hours

Los Angeles is a city in the United States in the south of California, located on the coast Pacific Ocean. The largest city in terms of population in the state and the second in the country, the City is the center of Greater Los Angeles, an agglomeration with a population of over 17 million people.

Los Angeles is one of the world's largest cultural, scientific, economic, educational centers, the world's largest centers of the entertainment industry in the field of cinema, music, television, and computer games.

The area of ​​the city is 1302 km2, the population is about 3.8 million people.

Los Angeles is famous for its gigantic traffic jams. Los Angeles residents spend an average of 81 hours stuck in traffic each year.

No. 1. London - 101 hours

London is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The main political, economic and cultural center of Great Britain. The city's economy occupies a fifth of the country's economy. Refers to global cities of the highest rank, the world's leading financial centers.

The area of ​​the city is 1706 km2, the population is more than 8.5 million people.

London is a very large metropolis and there are a lot of cars. London occupies an “honorable” first place in the ranking. Londoners spend an average of 101 hours stuck in traffic jams each year.

1. Moscow. Drivers in the Russian capital spend about 57 hours a year in traffic jams.
2. Ekaterinburg
3. Novosibirsk
4. Samara
5. Rostov-on-Don
6. St. Petersburg
7. Krasnodar

Summary of previous episodes: