Traffic: 77 hours lost in traffic jams in Montpellier in 2023, the edifying figures from the latest TomTom barometer

Dans les 5 villes françaises les plus congestionnées, les automobilistes ont perdu entre 73 et 120 heures dans les bouchons. ILLUSTRATION MIDI LIBRE – JEAN MICHEL MART

Circuler à voiture dans les grandes villes peut parfois virer au cauchemar, particulièrement quand les embouteillages s'invitent sur la route. Le navigateur TomTom révèle dans quelles villes les automobilistes perdent le plus de temps dans les bouchons. 

Getting stuck in traffic is never a very pleasant experience. And when we count the time lost by car over an entire year, the figures can be dizzying. In its latest barometer published this Wednesday, January 10, the road navigation specialist TomTom looks at traffic data from 387 cities across 55 countries, revealing how much time on average motorists spent in traffic jams in 2023.

In France, not surprisingly, it was in Paris that motorists lost the most time by car last year: Ile-de-France residents spent an average of 120 hours in traffic jams, ;equivalent to five full days. Just behind in the ranking, we find Bordeaux (111 hours) then Lyon on the third step of the French podium (89 hours). 

Time to read 34 books

In Occitanie, Montpellier is not to be outdone, since it is the first city in the region (fifth nationally and 148th in the world)' ;nbsp;where we lost the most time in traffic jams: on average, out of 172 hours spent driving during rush hour, 73 hours were lost in traffic jams. It's a little over three days. Where the average time it takes to read around 34 books, underlines TomTom.  Toulouse is two places further, in 7th position with an annual average of 71 hours lost.

Beyond the waste of time, traffic jams also represent a waste of money. Montpellier residents would have lost 148 euros in traffic jams, the equivalent of 7 full tanks of gasoline. A carbon footprint which amounts to 185 kg of CO2 emissions,  

Note that the worst day of the year 2023 to circulate in "the gifted" It was Wednesday, December 13, in the middle of the Christmas shopping rush. It then took 20 minutes and 40 seconds on average to cover 10 kilometers.

37 minutes to do 10 km

TomTom data on a global scale, covering 55 countries and 387 cities, can, however, help French people in large cities to put into perspective the time they have lost in traffic jams. Indeed, if it is the first most congested city in France, Paris only comes in ninth position in the world ranking, far behind the top three made up of the Irish capital Dubin (158 hours), its Peruvian counterpart Lima (157 hours) and the Mexican capital Mexico (152 hours). 

Across Europe, the roads of Dublin, Bucharest, and Milan are even more congested than our French metropolises. But the prize goes to the English capital, London, where driving 10km takes the longest time in the world, with an average duration of 37 minutes and 20 seconds.