Drivers in Thailand spend an average of 56 hours per year stuck in traffic: Study

 

Image: The Nation

 

Drivers in Thailand spent an average of 56 hours stuck in a traffic jam in 2017, a study has found.

 

According to the Global Traffic Scorecard, conducted by US-based transportation analytics firm Inrix, Thailand is officially the hub of road congestion, with its road having been found to be most congested in the world.

 

Out of 38 countries surveyed, drivers in Thailand were found to spend spend an average of 56 hours per year stuck in traffic jams, which while more than any other country overall, is actually an improvement on the 61 hours as revealed in the same survey carried out in 2016.

 

Behind Thailand was Indonesia (51 hours) and Colombia (49 hours) in second and third place, respectively.

 

 

However, the study showed that Los Angeles was once again found to be the world’s most gridlocked city, with drivers spending an average of 102 hours stuck in traffic during peak congestion in 2017.

 

Like last year, 5 of the top 10 cities with the worst traffic congestion were found to be in the United States, the study claimed.

 

Bangkok, meanwhile ranked as the 16th most congested city in the world, which is also an improvement on its ranking in 2016, where it was found to be the 12th overall.

 

According to the study, drivers spend longer stuck in traffic in Paris, London, New York and San Francisco than they do in Bangkok.

 

 

For the study, which was released in February this year, Inrix said it analysed data from 300 million vehicles that use Inrix powered traffic devices.

 

However, notable by their absence in the study were cities known for appalling traffic congestion including Manila, Saigon and Mumbai.

 

Last year, GPS manufacturer TomTom found that Bangkok had the worst evening rush hour traffic in the world.

 

TomTom’s study tracked traffic over a one year period in 390 cities from 48 countries and ranked Bangkok with the worst rush hour traffic ahead of Mexico City second place and Bucharest in third.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-05-28

 

 

 

 

 

On average Somchai in Nakhon Nowhere spends 0h in jams. His brother in BKK, however, hasn't moved in the last 5 months and decided to open a somtam stall on the "highway".

 

Damn am I glad I don't have to drive in BKK anymore. Rephrase that,  crawl at 4km/h.

56 hours a month more like it.

Woohoo! Number one most dangerous roads and now number one most congested too. God forbid drivers start showing courtesy at any time towards other motorists, to ease congestion, or follow road laws to make the roads safer. Two number one positions, can't be thrown away lightly.

2 hours ago, DrTuner said:

On average Somchai in Nakhon Nowhere spends 0h in jams.

My second name is Somchai

56 hours, thanks heaven no.

A troll post has been removed. 

3 hours ago, Justfine said:

56 hours a month more like it.

I agree - 56 hours a year is just over an hour (1 hr. and 4 min.) a week and  isn't even worth mentioning.  Assuming 6 days a week for many that is only 10 minutes per day!

 

OP; not sure what your point is, 56 hours stuck in traffic a year? at just over an hour a week that doesn't seem like much of a problem. next.

By my observations, they spend a lot more than 56 hours a year just standing still at traffic lights that changed to green ages ago.

and what about sleep time behind the wheel.??  wait !!,,that's called ''brake failure''

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by mok199
speliings

16 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

By my observations, they spend a lot more than 56 hours a year just standing still at traffic lights that changed to green ages ago.

My theory has been that many Thais don’t mind sitting in traffic. Most prioritize their cars over nice homes. Least in the car they have air, their phones and music.  No need for many to rush back to a shoebox apartment. 

I wonder how this statistic was reached.. 

 

56 hrs per year... which is a little more than 1 hour per week... 

 

56 hours over 365 days... thats 9 mins per day on average stuck in traffic. 

 

Or.... over a 360 day year... 260 days are week days (Mon-Fri)...  Thats 12.9 mins per day on average stuck in traffic. 

 

Or... over a 360 day year... 260 days are week days (Mon-Fri)... minus 20 days annual leave, minus 35 days public holidays...  Thats 16.3 mins per day on average stuck in traffic. 

 

56 hours per year must have been averaged out amongst those who do not drive or ride in vehicles, those who stay at home and don't work.

 

 

On the face of it the statistic is flawed....  the numbers seem incredibly low even of the most traffic efficient of cities world wide. 

 

 

 How did they get this percentage? 

These stats are only for the city concrete jungle dwellers. How many people did they ask that work outside the concrete jungle....not many I reckon. Not a national average...fake results as half the population of Thailand doesn't even go to "work" as it is usually defined.

 

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by Sir Dude

39 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

My theory has been that many Thais don’t mind sitting in traffic. Most prioritize their cars over nice homes. Least in the car they have air, their phones and music.  No need for many to rush back to a shoebox apartment. 

Exactly, i bet many Thai drive extra slow so they can enjoy the aircon longer and relax in the car.

Get folks back on motorcycles...... and bicycles.

Don’t believe this figure at all! I guess it includes all 65 million including the village folk in the mountains to get to only 56 hours a year! More like 56 hours a month if you only include Bangkok and surrounding suburbs ! In fact figures have shown that Bangkok is second in the world for traffic congestion behind Mexico City .

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

24 minutes ago, markaoffy said:

Don’t believe this figure at all! I guess it includes all 65 million including the village folk in the mountains to get to only 56 hours a year! More like 56 hours a month if you only include Bangkok and surrounding suburbs ! In fact figures have shown that Bangkok is second in the world for traffic congestion behind Mexico City .

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

It does seem extremely low...   

 

Consider something as simple as a parent dropping their child off at school 30mins away... (UK example).

5 mins waiting for 3 traffic lights, 5 mins queuing up to turn around at school.... 

Thats 10 mins of a 20minute journey which 'may' be attributed to 'congestion'...

Which is 20mins per day... multiplied by 190 school days per year (UK) - thats 3800 mins or 63.3 hours per year.

 

This is already higher than the quoted Thai average of 56 hrs per year... 

 

I suspect the devil is in the detail of what the statisticians have actually attributed to 'congestion' and what they consider 'normal traffic conditions'.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by richard_smith237

I know it is an average,  but in my neck of the woods (Brussels, Antwerpen, Paris, Lyon Luxembourg and in the Netherlands, 56 hours a year is absolutely nothing. Not counting Brussels which trumps Bangkok by a wide margin, just getting from and to my regular place of work in Holland, would easily be 40 hours each month. With the other places included I would probably be stuck in traffic 60 hours a month with ease. 

 

And that is only stuck in an actual traffic jam. Not counting open bridges or traffic lights.

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by sjaak327

If you click through to the report and search for Bangkok, more useful statistics come up. Drivers spend 23% of their time stuck in traffic, or on average 160 hours per year, Chiang Mai 14% and about half as much time in congestion.

5 hours ago, Prairieboy said:

I agree - 56 hours a year is just over an hour (1 hr. and 4 min.) a week and  isn't even worth mentioning.  Assuming 6 days a week for many that is only 10 minutes per day!

Which means the data looks dodgy.

 

How much time stopped at lights in a year too?

 

 

Seems average.  In Melbourne Australia it takes 3 hours to travel 34 kms 1.5 hours one way to work and then back again. That's 15 hours a week, 60 hours month or 720 hours a year stuck in traffic.  30 days sitting in traffic. Nothing to complain about in Thailand.

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by Thechook

34 minutes ago, Thechook said:

Seems average.  In Melbourne Australia it takes 3 hours to travel 34 kms 1.5 hours one way to work and then back again. That's 15 hours a week, 60 hours month or 720 hours a year stuck in traffic.  30 days sitting in traffic. Nothing to complain about in Thailand.

It can take 2.5hrs to go 30km in Bangkok.

Love being alongside Lambos and Ferraris in BKK traffic.....idling along at 7000 rpm!

My friend travels from Nonthaburi to Bangkok and back every day. I reckon it takes her a total of at least 3 hours per day. Assuming she goes to work 228 days every year, 3 hours driving per day = 684 hours per year = 28.5 days per year. Nearly one whole month!

15 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Number one most dangerous roads and now number one most congested too.

How do they manage to get up sufficient speed to kill anyone when they are all jammed up.  BKK's Suk has put me off ever visiting the capital.

To be honest- I have found travelling around the Kingdom reasonably painless- the roads are good. ( obviously not at New Year etc )

 

From personal experience- India - horrendous- there is almost no infrastructure and the so called main roads are still dirt roads; it takes hours to get anywhere. 

Mumbai !!

 

KL used to be dreadful - have not been for a while and let’s not mention Cairo!

 

UK is appalling.

 

Another one of these flawed surveys .

 

 

 

 

Indonesia is a very large country. If you take Bangkok and Jakarta only, I would say Jakarta is worse.

I spent 3 hours a day in the UK and that was 15 years ago, so over 700 hours a year, should count themselves lucky

Another completely meaningless survey. Thais in BKK would spend more than 56 hours per month in jams.

1 year???

In Sydney and Melbourne it would be even worse.