TomTom issues statistics Bonn is the capital of traffic jam in NRW

The GPS navigation company TomTom has analyzed traffic patterns in Germany. Bonn not only occupies a top position nationwide in the ranking, but even leads the rankings in NRW when it comes to traffic jams.

The problems with traffic jams and slow-moving traffic on Bonn streets are not getting any less – on the contrary: At least according to a new analysis by the Dutch company Tomtom, waiting times for motorists increased last year. Tomtom's daily average stagnation level rose by two percent to 27 percent compared to 2017. This means that car drivers need more than a quarter longer to cover their distances than when driving freely without any traffic obstructions. A study published by Inrix came to a similar conclusion at the beginning of the year. According to its calculations, Inrix had declared that drivers in Bonn spend an average of 104 hours a year, i.e. more than four days in traffic jams.´

Tomtom uses GPS measurements from its own traffic database for its analysis. In this way, the actual speeds can be compared with the permitted ones. Heavily frequented roads are taken more into account. The company cites as reasons for the increase in traffic in almost all German cities the fact that the number of car registrations continued to increase in 2018 and that cars are also becoming increasingly larger. The vehicle population has increased more than tenfold since 1960. In addition, the company argues that especially those cities are plagued by congestion in which rents are rising sharply. This is why Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart and Munich led the list with the biggest problems.

Bonn is the seventh most congested city in Germany, and the top city in NRW. "The causes of traffic problems in many German cities are manifold. The separation of residence and workplace plays an important role," the analysis says. Bernhard von Grünberg, chairman of the local tenants' association, also considers the long distances between home and work to be a cause of traffic problems. "Half of all jobs in Bonn are filled by commuters," Grünberg said. Not only the infrastructure for local transport has to be expanded but also the city had to consistently designate building land and make it possible to increase density wherever possible, especially as Bonn and the region are predicted to continue growing.

Andrea Schulte from the Bonn Press Office explained on request: "Traffic jams often occur on motorways and federal highways, especially now in view of increased construction activity". The city hopes that the third lane currently under construction in front of the motorway triangle on the A 565 will relieve the situation, as will the expansion of the A 565 and A 59. Above all, however, the city will focus on more attractive local transport when the tram lines S 13 and S 23 are expanded.

(Original text: Philipp Königs, Translation: Mareike Graepel)

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