KUWAIT CITY, March 7: According to the global traffic index “TomTom Traffic Index”, covering a distance of 10 km in Kuwait takes an average of 12 and a half minutes, the average speed during rush hour is 44 km/h, and a motorist spends 106 hours every year in rush hour, reports Al-Rai daily. This index measures the average level of congestion on the world’s roads. Kuwait City was ranked 273 globally, 30 among Asian countries, and 8th in the Arab world in the traffic index, making it among the least crowded cities in the world.

The annual “TomTom Traffic Index” stated that the Maps and Technology Service Department of the index issued the “Annual Global Traffic Index” which showed that driving a car in most cities in the world is a very expensive process.

According to the index, London continues to be the worst city to travel within by car, taking an average of 36 minutes to cover a distance of 10 kilometers, which is nearly two minutes more than the previous year.

The Indian city of Bengaluru ranked second with an average time of 29 minutes to cover the same distance. New York City appeared for the first time as the first American city on the index list. It ranked 19th with an average time of 24.5 minutes to travel a distance of 10 km. Cities such as Washington, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago came in close ranks.

On the other hand, the city of Orlando came in a good position with a time of 10 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the same distance. Oklahoma recorded the shortest time, which is 8.4 minutes. Covering 389 cities across 56 countries on six continents, TomTom Traffic Index ranks cities around the world by their average travel times and provides free access to city-by-city information.

This year, the index included the financial impact of rising fuel costs and congestion due to traffic, along with the fuel/ kWh consumption and CO2 emissions when driving petrol, diesel or BEV cars across all 389 cities. Now in its 12th year, this edition of the TomTom Traffic Index provides more insights than ever before, helping fleet managers, city planners, carmakers, policymakers and drivers tackle traffic-related challenges, make informed mobility decisions, and steer towards a better future.