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TomTom's Traffic Index reveals tough times for commuters, businesses

TomTom's analysis of traffic patterns showcase South African cities in a unique light.


Johannesburg, 31 Mar 2015

TomTom (TOM2) today released its annual Traffic Index, highlighting the impact of traffic congestion in over 200 cities around the world.

According to TomTom traffic data, the global trend reveals evening rush hour is the most congested time of day, with bottlenecks nearly doubling journey times. In 2014, the average commuter spent an extra 100 hours a year travelling during rush hour.

However, South Africa is unique in its position - all major cities' statistics showcase the morning commute as the most congested for SA's big cities; Monday morning being the worst. Globally ranked at 55, Cape Town remains the most congested city, with morning commutes adding up to 72% to commuting time. Johannesburg, listed at 77, is not much better, with morning travel adding up to 59% to commuting time. Cape Town's evening traffic has the worst congestion level, adding 58% to travel time, and Johannesburg adding 54% to travel time.

Pretoria has overtaken East London as the third most congested city in South Africa, with overall congestion level of 24%. Interestingly for Gauteng, the most congested traffic day was 3 February 2014, which saw the province ravaged by adverse weather that led to localised floods.

The congestion level increased everywhere, with congestion levels on non-highways still being remarkably higher than on highways, resulting in commuters spending up to 11 days per year sitting in traffic.

"TomTom's mission is to reduce traffic congestion for everyone," says Carey Dodd, Marketing Manager for TomTom SA. "Road authorities and local governments can use TomTom's traffic data to better manage traffic flow during the rush hour. We can help businesses plan smarter working hours to help their employees avoid travelling during rush hour. And we give drivers the real-time traffic information and smart routing they need to avoid congested roads and get there faster."

Summary

Overall ranking of most congested South African cities in 2014: (Average of morning and evening congestion)

World rank (based on overall congestion level

City

Evening peak congestion level

Morning peak congestion level

Overall congestion level

55

Cape Town

58%

72%

29%

77

Johannesburg

54%

59%

26%

-

Pretoria

47%

52%

24%

-

East London

42%

45%

23%

-

Durban

39%

42%

19%

-

Bloemfontein

24%

25%

13%

Overall ranking of most congested cities in 2014: (Average of morning and evening congestion):

World rank (based on overall congestion level

City

Evening peak congestion level

Morning peak congestion level

Overall congestion level

1

Istanbul

109%

76%

58%

2

Mexico City

89%

93%

55%

3

Rio de Janeiro

81%

72%

51%

4

Moscow

103%

77%

50%

5

Salvador

75%

62%

46%

6

Recife

82%

81%

45%

7

Saint Petersburg

96%

67%

44%

8

Bucharest

82%

78%

41%

9

Warsaw

75%

69%

40%

10

Los Angeles

80%

60%

39%

To filter and sort a customised ranking please visitwww.tomtom.com/trafficindex

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Notes to editors:

This year TomTom has expanded its Traffic Index to 218 cities in 36 countries. For the first time, the Index includes traffic information for China, Romania, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, and United Arab Emirates in one comprehensive report. The Traffic Index is based on data over the year of 2014.

TomTom

TomTom (TOM2) empowers movement. Every day, millions of people around the world depend on TomTom to make smarter decisions. The company designs and develops innovative products that make it easy for people to keep moving towards their goals. Best known for being a global leader in navigation and mapping products, TomTom also creates GPS Sport Watches, as well as state-of-the-art fleet management solutions and industry-leading location-based products.

TomTom's business consists of four customer-facing business units: Consumer, Automotive, Licensing and Telematics.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has 4 000 employees worldwide and sells its products in over 46 countries.

Editorial contacts

Taryn O Brien
Craving Novity
(+27) 0 470 5900
taryn@cnhb.co.za