A.SREENIVASA REDDY (Abu Dhabi)
Abu Dhabi has been ranked among the least congested cities in the world. According to a global traffic scorecard issued by US-based analytics company, INRIX, an average motorist in Abu Dhabi lost only 20 hours to traffic jams in 2023. This stands in a stark contrast to cities like New York City and Mexico City, where drivers lost an average of 101 and 96 hours respectively. Abu Dhabi sits at a comfortable 405th position, while its fellow UAE city, Dubai, comes in at 158th.
The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard is an annual report that tracks, measures, and analyses traffic congestion in urban areas worldwide. This year’s data was collected from various sources like phones, cars, and cities in 947 cities across 37 countries. The report provides insights on travel delays, congestion costs, and commuting trends for different cities.
A typical Dubai motorist lost 33 hours to traffic jams in 2023 as against 20 hours lost by Abu Dhabi motorist. While Dubai is more congested than Abu Dhabi, its158th position globally is significantly better than many cities like New York, London, Paris, and Istanbul. Compared to some of its global peers, Dubai’s once-famed traffic delays seem less severe.
INRIX has one more interesting finding for Abu Dhabi. The number of hours lost due to congestion has reduced to 20 hours in 2023 from 22 hours in 2022, bucking the global trend. This can be partly attributed to increased investments in construction of new roads and expansion of existing ones.
Speaking to Aletihad, Thomas Edelmann, founder of RoadSafetyUAE, said: “Over the years we have seen great increases in population numbers and number of cars on the roads of the UAE and in Abu Dhabi in particular. In this context, it is even more remarkable that the congestion data paint a very favourable picture of Abu Dhabi. It’s amazing to see Abu Dhabi score very well on the global index when compared to other cities around the world.”
How does Abu Dhabi stay relatively free from the traffic problems that usually dog burgeoning cities? Edelmann, who has been researching the topic of road safety in the UAE for over two decades, said: “The constant investment in road infrastructure by respective government entities seems to work very well in Abu Dhabi. We also see from our UAE specific research projects, that UAE motorists appreciate these ongoing efforts.”
But apart from infrastructure, there could be other ways of easing traffic problems. Edelmann says: “We have to look at transportation solutions which bundle individual road users. Better public transportation, developing acceptable carpooling solutions, a further promotion of work from home, and staged starting times for offices and education facilities can contribute positively in the future”.
The INRIX Traffic Scorecard also provides a detailed analysis of traffic conditions in each city. In Abu Dhabi, the peak speed during busy times (morning and afternoon) was 61 kilometres per hour (kph) in 2023, which is the same as 2022. Off-peak speed was 72 kph, which is slightly lower than the 74 kph recorded in 2022. Last-mile speed, which refers to the speed of travel within 1.6 kilometres of the core downtown area, is 34 kph in Abu Dhabi.
In Dubai, travel is somewhat more delayed due to congestion compared to the UAE capital. Peak hour speed is 53 kph, which is slightly lower than the 55 kph recorded in 2022. Off-peak travel speed was 72 kph, the same as 2022. Last-mile speed was 37 kph, surprisingly higher than Abu Dhabi.
Globally, New York City was followed by Mexico City, London, Paris, and Chicago as the top congested cities. London dropped from second position in 2022 to third, Paris dropped from third to fourth, and Mexico City jumped from fourth to second place.
According to INRIX estimates, the typical US driver lost 42 hours to traffic congestion in 2023, which is equivalent to a full work week and resulted in a loss of $733 in wasted time. In the UK, drivers lost an average of 61 hours commuting to work, or about £558 in lost time. German drivers lost an average of 40 hours in traffic jams, equal to €427 per driver. Congestion cost the US more than $70.4 billion in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022. Comparatively, UK drivers lost nearly £7.5 billion, up by 11%, while German drivers saw €3.3 billion in time lost, up 14% from the prior year.
Out of the top 100 urban areas for congestion in 2023, year-over-year delays grew in 98 of those areas, according to the report. Seventy-one out of the top 100 saw double-digit percentage increases in delays over 2022. Over 78% of all studied urban areas saw increased traffic compared to 2022.
Trips to downtown cores in urban areas decreased in both the UK and Germany. Comparatively, trips to downtowns in the US increased, led by Manhattan with a 13% jump.