Moscow is world’s most gridlocked city, says Inrix

Moscow is the most gridlocked city in the world, according to a survey of snarl-ups by Inrix. The company’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard found that road users in the Russian capital lost 210 hours last year because of congestion. Inrix weights the data for population, and found that the next four cities on the congestion roll-call were Istanbul, Turkey; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City; and São Paulo, Brazil. Brazil had another entry on this unwanted list, with Rio de Janeiro in seventh place. Russ
February 21, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Moscow is the most gridlocked city in the world, according to a survey of snarl-ups by 163 Inrix.


The company’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard found that road users in the Russian capital lost 210 hours last year because of congestion.

Inrix weights the data for population, and found that the next four cities on the congestion roll-call were Istanbul, Turkey; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City; and São Paulo, Brazil.

Brazil had another entry on this unwanted list, with Rio de Janeiro in seventh place. Russia’s St Petersburg came in ninth.

“The dominance of Latin American cities should not be a surprise due to their rapid urbanisation, high levels of informal settlements, unforgiving topographies and financial volatility,” Inrix suggests.

The top 10 was completed by London, UK (sixth); Boston, US (eighth); and Italian capital Rome (tenth).

Although not featuring in the top 10, Dublin, Ireland received its own dubious accolade: it has the slowest city centre speeds in the world, Inrix says, with an average of just 6mph during peak hours. This means it would almost be quicker to walk at certain times, and certainly makes cycling look like an attractive option for commuters.

Edinburgh and London tied for the title of UK’s slowest city, with last-mile speeds of 7mph.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • It’s official: 20 (or 30) really is plenty
    April 30, 2025
    A study has looked at what 20mph (30 km/h) speed limits mean in terms of road safety – and the answers are encouraging. Alan Dron speaks to transport researcher Aud Tennøy…
    Read More
  • City of Del Rio and Faneuil announce opening of toll collection system
    October 23, 2017
    The City of Del Rio, Texas and Faneuil Inc unveiled a new Toll Plaza and Toll Collection System (TCS) for the Del Rio International Bridge at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 620-meter long, four-lane bridge provides citizens with safe, efficient and the shortest crossing times when seeking entry into Mexico through Texas. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    Read More
  • Manchester seeks smart but not selective transport solutions
    January 25, 2018
    Smarter transport relies on better communications both with travellers and between transport providers. Andrew Williams reports. Inrix’s prediction that the cost of traffic congestion will rise by 63% to £21bn per year by 2030 clearly illustrates that, in addition to the ongoing inconvenience and inefficiency, ongoing gridlock is a significant drain on the economy. It is against this backdrop that a Cisco-led consortium has launched CitySpire, a smart transport programme that uses location-based services a
    Read More
  • Carbon finance delivers critical support to mass transit schemes
    February 2, 2012
    David Crawford investigates carbon finance in transport. World Bank carbon finance grants are delivering critical support to major mass transit deployments in emerging and developing economies. Only recently operative in the transport sector, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM, see panel) is designed to generate additional income streams and improve internal rates of return on projects funded from public- and private-sector sources.
    Read More

Highlighted Content