DUBLIN IS NOW the 17th most congested city in the world, according to an index which monitors and analyses traffic in major urban centres.

The TomTom Traffic Index, which details the traffic congestion levels in 416 cities around the world, ranks Bengaluru, India as the most congested city in the world. 

The report for 2019 has found that traffic congestion levels have increased globally. Almost 57% of the cities included have shown an increased or stable congestion level between 2018 and 2019. 

Dublin has seen a 3% increase in its congestion level since 2018, coming in at 48% in 2019, making it the 6th worst city for congestion in Europe for the second year in a row.  

For the capital, peak traffic congestion occurred at 8am on weekdays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were noticeably worse with congestion levels reaching 100-101% at 8am on those days. 

Thursday evenings at 5pm was the worst time for traffic congestion (105%). TomTom estimates that travelling after 6pm on Thursdays could save commuters up to 6 hours per year (for a 30 minute commute). 

The worst day in 2019 for Dublin traffic congestion was 25 October. The highest average congestion level was 82%. 

Researchers estimate that the average Dublin road users spent 213 hours sitting in rush hour traffic in 2019. 

TomTom Traffic Congestion Index TomTom Traffic Congestion Index

Cork was ranked 75th in the world for traffic congestion, with congestion levels at 33% in 2019, a rise of 1% on the year previous. 

The next Irish city on the index is Limerick which had a congestion level of 31% – coming in at 118th place. Congestion in Limerick is up 2% since 2018. 

The 10 most congested cities in Europe are as follows:

1. Moscow, Russia (59%)
2. Istanbul, Turkey (55%)
3. Kyiv, Ukraine (53%)
4. Bucharest, Romania (53%)
5. Saint Petersburg, Russia (49%)
6. Dublin, Ireland (48%)
7. Odessa, Ukraine (47%)
8. Lodz, Poland (47%)
9. Krakow, Poland (45%)
10. Novosibirsk. Russia (45%)

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