By Mohsin Abbas / The Santiago Times Staff
SANTIAGO — Believe it or not, Chile’s capital city has been ranked among top 10 cities in the world that have the worst traffic during rush hour.
According to Tom Tom survey for the year 2017, some of these cities listed below experience traffic congestion during a particular time of the day, while some have the problem all day long.
10. Santiago, Chile
Santiago, the capital city of Chile, stands at the tenth spot on the list of cities that have the worst traffic during rush hour. Santiago is the cultural, political and financial centre of Chile and is home to the regional headquarters of many multinational corporations. Also, Santiago’s air is the most polluted in Chile.
9. Zhuhai, China
Taking the ninth place is Zhuhai, located in the Guangdong province in China. The city is one of China’s premier tourist destinations, and according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2014, Zhuhai is the most livable city in China.
8. Saint Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg is one of the most westernised cities in Russia, and also takes the eighth place on the list of cities that have the worst traffic in the world. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks, and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg. The city is a major trade gateway, the financial and industrial centre of Russia specialising in oil and gas trade, shipbuilding yards, aerospace industry, radio and electronics, and more.
7. Istanbul, Turkey
In the seventh place is Istanbul, Turkey. Although the city appears in the seventh place on the list, the most populous city of Turkey has seen traffic ease out, primarily due to authorities, which provide real-time traffic data. This has helped drivers plan their journey and avoid major traffic jams.
6. Chongqing, China
Coming up in the sixth place is the city of Chongqing, located in the south-west region of China and is one of the five national central cities in the country. According to the 2010 census, Chongqing is the most populous Chinese municipality, known as a major manufacturing centre and transportation hub, and is also one of the emerging megacities of China.
5. Moscow, Russia
Moscow, the capital and the most populous city of Russia, takes the fifth place on the list. The city is well known for its architecture, greenery – has the largest forest in an urban area, and, traffic – the reason Moscow is on this list of cities with the worst traffic jams.
4. Jakarta, Indonesia
The fourth place is taken by Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta. Being a tourist destination, the city attracts a large domestic crowd and also hosts as the stop-over for foreign visitors on their way to Bali. Tourism is contributing a growing amount of income to the city, and the government provides free double-decker bus tours.
3. Bucharest, Romania
The third most traffic affected city in the world is the capital city of Romania and also the largest, Bucharest. Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. Bucharest is a major intersection of Romania’s national road network. A few of the busiest national roads and motorways link the city to all of Romania’s major cities, as well as to neighboring countries.
2. Mexico City, Mexico
The densely populated capital city of Mexico takes the honours at second place in the list of cities with the worst traffic jams. Mexico City is the world’s worst city for full-day traffic congestion. People don’t have many options to get to work since extensive subway system doesn’t extend out to where all the population growth is happening.
1. Bangkok, Thailand
Having been known as the ‘World’s Best City’ for four consecutive years, Thailand’s capital, Bangkok takes the crown when it comes to rush hour traffic. This is the second consecutive year Bangkok has topped the list of cities with the worst traffic. Bangkok’s rapid growth in the 1980s resulted in a sharp increase in vehicle ownership and traffic demand, leading to severe traffic congestion.
The data was gathered by TomTom after scouting 390 cities in 48 countries.
