Pune sixth-most traffic congested city in the world: Report

Traffic has been an issue affecting Pune for a long time and the situation has worsened in the last few years due to the ongoing developmental activities, especially the Metro works. As per the TomTom Traffic Index Ranking 2022, a commuter in Pune takes an average of 27 minutes and 20 seconds to cover a 10 km distance which is 1 minute and 10 seconds more than what it used to take in 2021.

According to the survey, the worst rush of the week is seen on Fridays, from 6 pm to 7 pm, when on an average it takes a commuter around 35 minutes and 50 seconds to cover a 10 km distance. On an average, a commuter in Pune spends 249 hours driving, of which 121 hours is spent due to congestion, for a daily commute of 10 km, the report further showed.

It also states that while travelling 10 km on a daily basis, a commuter emits around 1,001 kg of carbon dioxide yearly, of which 256 kg is emitted due to the congestion. The report thus concluded that traffic congestion is also rising the pollution levels in the city. Notably, as of 2022, the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) had registered 43.4 lakh vehicles in 17 different categories.

The Tom Tom Traffic Index Ranking covers 389 cities across 56 countries on six continents. While Pune ranked sixth, Bangalore grabbed the second spot in the list while the other major cities, such as New Delhi and Mumbai, were at the 34th and 47th spots, respectively