Status: 01/10/2023 1:56 p.m
Munich drivers are stuck in traffic jams for more than 70 hours. This is the highest value of all German cities. Hamburg and Berlin follow closely behind. In an international comparison, however, these are relatively small traffic jams.
Munich is the most congested city in Germany. An average commuter lost 74 hours there last year. This was the result of a study by the transport service provider Inrix. Berlin follows in second place with 71 hours and Hamburg in third place with 56 hours. In Potsdam, Darmstadt, Leipzig, Freiburg, Lübeck, Bremen and Nuremberg, a commuter was stuck in traffic jams for at least 40 hours a year, the researchers said.
| Ranking 2022 | city | Time lost in traffic jams (in hours) |
|---|---|---|
1 | Munich | 74 |
2 | Berlin | 71 |
3 | Hamburg | 56 |
4 | Potsdam | 55 |
5 | Darmstadt | 47 |
6 | Leipzig | 46 |
7 | Freiburg | 43 |
8th | Luebeck | 41 |
9 | Bremen | 40 |
10 | Nuremberg | 40 |
“European cities are among the slowest in the world”
The Mittlerer Ring in Munich, the Elbtunnel in Hamburg and the Köln-Heumar triangle are the largest congestion areas in Germany. After all, commuters in Munich spent an average of five hours less in traffic jams in 2022 than in 2021, while the time lost increased in Hamburg, Berlin and most other major cities.
In 2022, traditional morning and late afternoon commuter traffic has returned, said traffic analyst Bob Pishue, referring to previous restrictions in the Corona crisis. According to the researchers from Inrix, traffic volume in Germany, measured in vehicle kilometers on weekdays, increased by 21 percent compared to 2021 and was eight percent above the 2019 level.
London has the most traffic jams internationally
However, that is little compared to the number of hours people in other regions of the world were stuck in traffic last year. London tops the list of the most congested cities with 156 hours. Then follow Chicago (155 hours) and Paris (138 hours). For Palermo (121 hours), the traffic jam researchers determined an average speed of just 14 kilometers per hour in the city center.
“European cities are among the slowest in the world because they were built to a large extent before the automobile was established,” write the researchers of the congestion study. For the Global Traffic Scorecard 2022, they analyzed the traffic in more than 1000 cities in 50 countries.
The rising fuel costs are also reflected in the study. For car drivers, the costs caused by traffic jams increase by 28 euros to a total of 371 euros. In Germany, however, these costs are less noticeable than in neighboring European countries.