Mumbai was India’s most congested city in 2021

Mumbai was India’s most and the world’s fifth-most congested city in 2021, according to the latest TomTom Traffic Index based on the study of 404 cities across 58 countries. It was the second most congested city globally after Moscow a year earlier.

TomTom provides real-time traffic management as well as historical traffic congestion data to assist governments in planning infrastructure projects and initiating more public transportation schemes.

Mumbai’s congestion level was 53% in 2021 followed by Bengaluru and New Delhi (48%) each and Pune (42%). The peak traffic reduced from 75% to 69% in the city. In 2019, it was 91%. There was a 22% reduction in peak traffic in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic years.

Congestion level percentage is indicative of the extra travel time a driver has to spend for reaching from one spot to another over and above the time required in the normal and free-flow traffic situation.

A 50% congestion level means that travel times were on average 50% longer than they were in the baseline uncongested conditions. This means that a 30-minute drive in free-flow condition will take 50% more time ,to complete, or 15 minutes more to cover  when congestion is at 50%.