Guess which city ranks 2nd for world's worst traffic jams

[Gaybutton]

I'll bet you all got it on the first try . . .

See: http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/trafficindex/list
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BKK 2nd worst in traffic congestion

The Nation
March 23, 2016

Bangkok is ranked the 2nd in terms of traffic congestion, according to TomTom Traffic Index.

It said Bangkok’s traffic congestion increased the travel times by 57 per cent.

Top of the list is Mexico City, where congestion raised travel time by 59 per cent.

The index measures congestion on the road networks of 295 cities around the world, 77 more than last year. However, some cities which are notorious of congestion like Jakarta and Mumbai were not included in the survey.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakin ... 82270.html

[firecat69]

Ridiculous survey. Although I agree traffic can be horrible at certain times during the average day, there are many time when the traffic is quite reasonable. Yes not a good idea to try to get out of the city on Friday afternoon or return Sunday night. Sukhumvit can be bad anytime but since the Skytrain follows that road who cares. Any major city in India of course is far worse.. Tokyo is horrendous many times. Most of the bigger cities in China can be horrible. Phnom Penh is horrible 24 hours a day because of their terrible roads.

In fact I think Los Angeles is far worse and certainly NYC can be a disaster. Ever try to get to LaGuardia during the day? And at least you can revert to the SkyTrain during busy times which you can't do in many of the cities I mentioned .

I use taxis a lot in Bangkok but I know the times and places not to use them.. Not really that bad.

And when I am caught in a traffic jam, the one I really feel sorry for is the driver. The meter barely moves and he keeps burning petrol while I sit in a modern air conditioned taxi . And the fares are so ridiculously low , there are worse places to be when it is 95 degrees.

I was in Mexico City in January and I found the traffic to be much less then Bangkok to and from the airport and around the city center.

They have Warsaw worse then London. Who does this junk. I was in Warsaw last year and again traffic was quite reasonable and much better then London and of course the fares were about 20% of London.

Basically this survey is a joke and does not register with me and my travels over the last few years.

[Gaybutton]

I'm surprised Athens is not on the list. Traffic there is a nightmare.

The survey does say peak hours. Maybe that's it. I try not to drive at all in Bangkok, but when I do it's not going to be during morning and evening rush hours. Pattaya's traffic problems aren't far behind Bangkok. When I drive to and from Bangkok, I try to go either very early in the morning or very late at night.

At least in Bangkok it's predictable. That is not the case in Pattaya. Last Wednesday I picked up a friend who resides in Center Condo to go to dinner. It took me 20 minutes to get there. This evening, a Wednesday later, I drove to Center Condo to pick up the same friend and went at the same time as last week. 45 minutes to get there. I know of nothing that should have made this Wednesday any different from last Wednesday.

That kind of unpredictability is common in Pattaya. You never know what to expect. I can't comment on the survey because I've either never been to many of those cities or the last time I was in any of them was many years ago.

Whether the survey is a 'joke' or not, traffic in Bangkok is terrible, especially if you're the one doing the driving. If other cities are much worse, I'm glad I don't drive in any of them.

[Captain Kirk]

Quite USA centric.
You want to try Cairo sometime. Well, actually no, you don't.

[christianpfc]

And when I am caught in a traffic jam, the one I really feel sorry for is the driver. The meter barely moves and he keeps burning petrol while I sit in a modern air conditioned taxi . And the fares are so ridiculously low , there are worse places to be when it is 95 degrees.

Taxi going slower than 6 km/h is charged at 2 Baht/min.

[Alex]

Right, I'd be more worried about taxi drivers who get stuck in traffic while they don't carry passengers.

[painai2]

I did get it wrong--I was sure it was Pattaya with the second worst traffic.

[firecat69]

And when I am caught in a traffic jam, the one I really feel sorry for is the driver. The meter barely moves and he keeps burning petrol while I sit in a modern air conditioned taxi . And the fares are so ridiculously low , there are worse places to be when it is 95 degrees.

Taxi going slower than 6 km/h is charged at 2 Baht/min.

Wow wonder if I can afford it. So 30 minutes of not moving will cost me $1.50 US.

[Gaybutton]

Wow wonder if I can afford it.

I certainly hope so. If it ever goes higher than that, we're all going to have a serious financial burden on our hands. There ought to be a law . . .

[Trongpai]

I did get it wrong--I was sure it was Pattaya with the second worst traffic.

Bangkok may have more volume of traffic but driving in Pattaya is more of a challenge and you have to be very alert. Pattaya has more crazy drivers, more motorbikes driven by inexperienced and distracted drivers, more huge tour buses that can't fit on the road and take three traffic lanes to make a turn and pedestrians crossing the street without looking and are often drunk.