UAE motorists lost up to 22 hours in traffic congestion in 2022, study reveals

London topped the scorecard with drivers losing 156 hours sitting in behind wheels due to slow-moving traffic.

Motorists in UAE cities lost two to 22 hours due to traffic congestion last year. According to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard released by mobility analytics firm Inrix Inc. The study covers urban areas to measure traffic congestion in the cities.

On Tuesday, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were ranked 990 and 991, respectively, among the 1,000 cities, which shows the two emirates performed exceptionally well on Inrix’s 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard.

Data showed vehicle owners in Dubai, on average lost 22 hours sitting in congestion, which is 54 per cent higher than last year but 17 per cent below the pre-pandemic year. While, motorists in Abu Dhabi lost around 12 hours in traffic congestion, which was 71 per cent higher than in 2021 and the pre-pandemic year.

Drivers in Al Ain, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain lost 11, six, and two hours respectively, in traffic delays in 2021.

In Dubai, traffic flows were analysed in Bur Dubai, Bu Hail, Downtown, Al Rashidiya, Umm Ramool, Al Jadaf, Out Metha and other areas for the report.

Among other regional countries, Saudi Arabian motorists lost between five to 20 hours in 2021, with Riyadh being the most congested city in the kingdom. While motorists in Muscat, Doha, Manama and Kuwait City lost six, 10, 29 and two hours, respectively.

Globally, 58 per cent of urban areas saw increased traffic delays over last year, while 38 per cent saw delay decreases.

For the second year in a row, London topped the traffic scorecard with drivers losing 156 hours sitting in congestion, five per cent above pre-pandemic delays.

Commuting in London costs the average driver £1,377 (Dh6,145).

The British capital was followed by Chicago, Paris, Boston, Bogota, Palermo, Toronto, New York City, Monterrey and Philadelphia.

The typical US driver lost 51 hours due to congestion in 2022, a 15-hour increase over 2021. In the UK, a driver lost 80 hours due to traffic congestion, a 7-hour increase, and in Germany, drivers lost 40 hours on average, with no change from 2021.

News Source: Khaleej Times