Italy Sees Europe's Biggest Jump In Traffic Congestion In 2013

- Annual INRIX Traffic Scorecard Report shows 15% jump in congestion in Italy

- Milan is most congested city in Italy, drivers there spend approximately 56 hours per year in traffic

- Across whole country, drivers spent one day (approximately 24 hours) sitting in traffic in 2013

KIRKLAND, Washington, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Italian traffic data from leading traffic information and driver services provider INRIX shows that Italy experienced the biggest increase in traffic congestion in Europe in 2013, with a 15% rise in congestion from 2012 levels.

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According to figures on hours wasted in traffic, Italians spent approximately 24 hours in traffic in 2013, up from around 21 hours in 2012.

According to the amount of hours wasted annually by drivers, Europe's worst countries for traffic congestion in 2013 were:

Looking at Europe as a whole, average congestion in 2013 dropped by 2.5%. INRIX's Annual Traffic Scorecard shows that while congestion decreased sharply in the first quarter of 2013 it rose approximately 6% on average per quarter for the final three quarters of the year.

"So goes traffic, so goes the economy," said Bryan Mistele, president and CEO, INRIX. "While bad news for drivers, increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy."

Italian Metropolitan Area Snapshot

Of the 13 Italian cities included in the study, 12 recorded an increase in traffic congestion in 2013. Milano was Italy's most congested city in INRIX's ranking of 94 European metropolitan areas, placing 7th in the table, with drivers there spending approximately 56 hours in traffic per year, an increase of five hours on 2012.

Italy's worst roads

The INRIX Traffic Scorecard also records data on the worst roads in Europe. Italy's worst roads based on total delays per year in the worst peak period (either morning or evening) are included below. Nine of Italy's top 10 most congested roads are in Milano:

The situation in mainland Europe in 2013

INRIX analysed data from 13 European countries and the congestion landscape generally aligned closely with each country's economic outlook. Those nations struggling with high unemployment and low or negative growth in 2013 typically recorded lower traffic congestion than in 2012. Spain and Portugal are both examples of this trend: in 2013 Spain's economy contracted by 1.2%[1] and Portugal recorded record unemployment.

The data shows a marked difference from 2012 where all of the European countries saw decreases in congestion. In 2013, five nations recorded increases in congestion according to the INRIX Index: the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy. The Swiss[2] and British economies both grew by 1.9% in 2013. Although full-year figures have not been released for Ireland and Luxembourg, estimates state that Ireland is expected to grow by 1.3%[3] and Luxembourg by 1.9%[4] in 2013. The general trend is that the countries showing increased congestion have a positive economic outlook, while those economies still struggling are seeing falling congestion.

"So goes traffic, so goes the economy," said Bryan Mistele, president and CEO, INRIX. "While bad news for drivers, increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy."

The Scorecard analysed traffic in major metropolitan areas across Europe, providing a comprehensive snapshot into the intractable issues of urban traffic congestion.  According to the report, the top 25 most congested cities in Europe and annual average hours wasted in traffic are:

The INRIX Index represents the barometer of congestion intensity. For a road segment with no congestion, the INRIX Index would be zero. Each additional point in the INRIX Index represents a percentage point increase in the average travel time of a commute above free-flow conditions during peak hours. An INRIX Index of 30, for example, indicates a 20-minute free-flow trip will take 26 minutes during the peak travel time periods with a 6-minute (30 percent) increase over free-flow.

For more information

For a full picture of the data collected in the 2013 Annual INRIX Traffic Scorecard, please visit inrix.scorecard.com.

About the INRIX Traffic Scorecard

The INRIX Traffic Scorecard measures the traffic congestion problem by going beyond traditional limitations of road sensors and statistical sampling techniques by analysing an historical archive of real-time data crowd-sourced from actual vehicles travelling on major metropolitan roadways.  

INRIX analyses trillions of real-time data points from over a hundred sources including crowd-sourced data from a variety of commercial vehicles, including taxis, airport shuttles, service delivery vans, long haul trucks as well as consumer vehicles and mobile devices.  Each data report from these GPS-equipped vehicles and devices includes the speed, location and heading of a particular vehicle at a reported date and time. In creating the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, INRIX analyses information for more than one million kilometres of motorways and secondary roads in Europe and nearly two million miles of roads in North America during every hour of the day to generate the most comprehensive and timely congestion analyses to date, covering the largest metropolitan areas in 15 countries.

The same data used to generate the Scorecard also powers INRIX Traffic, a free smartphone app that helps drivers avoid frustrating delays stuck in traffic. The INRIX Traffic app helps drivers never be late with insights from the world's largest traffic network into the fastest routes from home to work, recommended departure and travel times, traffic forecasts and personalised traffic alerts unique to driver's routes.  More information about INRIX Traffic can be found at http://inrixtraffic.com.

More details on traffic congestion in a particular country and how countries and cities compare to each other, along with an executive summary of the report's key findings are now available at scorecard.inrix.com. The extensive data powering the INRIX Traffic Scorecard is immediately available under license for further analysis and review by government agencies and commercial organisations.

About INRIX

INRIX is one of the fastest growing big data technology companies in the world.  The company leverages big data analytics to reduce the individual, economic and environmental toll of traffic congestion. Through cutting-edge data intelligence and predictive traffic technologies, INRIX helps leading automakers, fleets, governments and news organizations make it easier for drivers to navigate their world. Our vision is simple – to solve traffic, empower drivers, inform planning and enhance commerce. 

Whether through an in-car or smartphone navigation application, a local newscast or our INRIX Traffic app, our up-to-the-minute traffic information and other driver services help more than 150 million drivers save time, fuel and frustration. INRIX delivers traffic and driving-related insight, as well as sophisticated analytical tools and services across six industries covering nearly four million miles of road in 37 countries.  For more information visit us at www.INRIX.com.

[1] http://www.tradingeconomics.com/spain/gdp-growth

[2] http://www.seco.admin.ch/themen/00374/00375/00376/?lang=en

[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24159574

[4] http://www.wort.lu/en/view/bcl-revises-2013-growth-projections-52aff890e4b0f7953cd3e5bc