Traffic jam ranking: Munich occupies the sad "top spot" - a junction costs the most nerves

Created: 01/11/2023 06:54

Munich is Germany's number one traffic jam capital.

This is the result of a recent study by researchers who have examined metropolitan areas around the world.

Munich – The Bavarian state capital is not necessarily known for being low in traffic jams.

Anyone who has ever been out and about during rush hour on the Mittlerer Ring or in the city will know that it can sometimes take a little longer.

A recent study has now confirmed this impression.

According to data from the transport service provider Inrix, Munich is still “the most congested city in Germany”.

Munich is Germany's traffic jam capital - it takes the longest on the Mittlerer Ring

An average commuter lost 74 hours there last year (2022) due to congested roads during rush hours.

For comparison: In Berlin he came to 71 hours in traffic jams, in Hamburg to 56 hours.

In Potsdam, Darmstadt, Leipzig, Freiburg, Lübeck, Bremen and Nuremberg, a commuter wasted at least 40 hours a year, the data experts said on Tuesday.

But what is already getting on the nerves of motorists in this country is still manageable in some cases compared to other countries.

Drivers need a lot of patience on the Mittlerer Ring in Munich.

© IMAGO / Stephan Görlich

Munich: traffic jam metropolis in Germany - international cities even worse

In London (156 hours), Chicago (155 hours) and Paris (138 hours) it is therefore far worse.

For Palermo (121 hours), Inrix determined an average speed of just 14 kilometers per hour in the city center.

Any consolation for Munich drivers who need an average of 13 minutes longer to travel five kilometers across the Isar on the southern Mittlerer Ring at rush hour?

The Mittlerer Ring, the Elbe tunnel in Hamburg and the Köln-Heumar triangle "are the biggest traffic jams in Germany," said Inrix.

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After all, commuters in Munich spent an average of five hours less in traffic jams in 2022 than in 2021, while the time lost in Hamburg and Berlin increased.

In 2022, traditional morning and late afternoon commuter traffic has returned, said traffic analyst Bob Pishue, referring to previous restrictions in the Corona crisis.

According to Inrix, the traffic volume in Germany, measured in vehicle kilometers on weekdays, increased by 21 percent compared to 2021 and was thus eight percent above the level of 2019. Traffic jam and mobility data in more than 1000 cities in 50 countries were evaluated for the study.