Egypt, Thailand and Iran among countries with worst traffic globally

Traffic in Bangkok can be a nightmare. Thailand ranks third on the latest Numbeo list of countries with worst traffic conditions globally. PICTURE: Arno MaierbruggerBy Arno MaierbruggerGulf Times Correspondent BangkokEgypt, South Africa, Thailand, Iran and the Philippines are the top 5 countries globally with the worst traffic conditions, according to the latest ranking by online database Numbeo, which gathers user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. The methodology of the ranking is based on a comparison of indices of time consumed in traffic due to job commute, estimation of time consumption dissatisfaction, carbon dioxide emission estimation in traffic and overall inefficiencies in the traffic system.Egypt in this mid-2015 ranking boasts the worst results, topping the list with the highest amount of carbon dioxide emitted, with the least efficient traffic infrastructure and the most time wasted during commuting. South Africa comes second mainly because of their high emissions from traffic, while Thailand ranks high in inefficiency of its traffic system and also in high carbon dioxide emissions. The worst of Philippine traffic is time wasted on congested roads, as can be said of Iran.Looking just at Asia, Thailand tops the ranking ahead of Iran, the Philippines, Turkey, India and Indonesia. The worst country in the Gulf Cooperation Council as per Numbeo data is the UAE, mainly due to high emissions and, interestingly, due to a low ranking on the traffic infrastructure efficiency index.Another study that just looks at traffic conditions in capital cities, conducted by British motor oil company Castrol earlier this year, ranked Jakarta as the city with the world’s most dismal traffic conditions, followed by Istanbul, Mexico City, Surabaya and St Petersburg. As per the Numbeo study, in the Philippines things seem to have deteriorated. In Numbeo’s previous report published in January, the Philippines ranked fourth among Asian countries and ninth in the world. However, even the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) itself said the traffic situation in the Philippine capital is expected to get worse in the next 15 years, which is actually hard to imagine. However, the government’s “Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and its Surrounding Areas “will be implemented until 2030,” according to the MMDA.Bangkok, in turn, is working on several extensions of its relatively efficient, but too small Skytrain system over the coming years which should improve traffic significantly in the future with the city’s population approaching 10mn. There are also plans to sign a contract with China as early as this September for the construction of a high-speed rail connection between Bangkok and Kunming in southern China, alongside other rail projects supported by Japan such as the Chiang Mai high speed railway and one new railway line leading to the industrial areas in southeastern Chonburi province.China and Japan were also both interested in constructing a high-speed rail system in Indonesia, but the plan has been dumped by the government in Jakarta a few days ago, citing high costs and announcing it was instead eyeing a medium-speed train service connecting Jakarta and the West Java provincial capital Bandung.Egypt and Iran will also have to do something about their deteriorating traffic infrastructure. With more than 19mn citizens living in the greater Cairo metropolitan area, traffic congestion puts a serious hamper on Egyptian’s quality of life and the efficiency of its economy. According to the World Bank, congested roads in Egypt add up to around $6bn yearly in lost revenue, or about 3.6% of the country’s GDP. Similar to Iran, where roads and other infrastructure have been in decay over decades and where Tehran’s traffic keeps being described as “mad” by visitors and nationals alike.On the upside: Of the 59 countries surveyed in the Numbeo ranking, Austria had the best traffic conditions, followed by Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea and Switzerland.