Drivers in Munich spent an average of 74 hours in traffic jams during 2022, the traffic data index has announced in its yearly analysis. Berlin and Hamburg were next in line to claim the titles of Germany’s Stauhauptstädte (traffic jam capitals).

Munich named traffic jam capital

According to the annual traffic data index compiled by Inrix, many of Germany’s cities are chock-a-block with traffic jams. This year, an average of 74 hours vanished before the eyes of Munich's drivers while they waited in line. Even though they spent an average of just over three days edging closer towards the front of the queue, the figures show an improvement compared to 2021, when drivers lost 79 hours of their lives in traffic jams.

To create the report, Inrix analysed the traffic volume of particular road sections over the course of certain days in 50 countries around the world. This year, the data revealed that congestion in Germany is returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Sitting behind Munich, drumming their fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, came Berlin and Hamburg, where drivers spent respective annual averages of 71 and 56 hours in jams during 2022. The smaller city of Potsdam racked up 55 hours, perhaps due to commuters making their way in and out of nearby Berlin. 

Further down the list, Darmstadt added 10 hours to its 2021 average, coming in at 47, and Leipzig added six, with a total of 46 hours. Despite the overwhelming popularity of the 9-euro ticket throughout the summer months, drivers in Germany still managed to see an average of 40 hours vanish while they sat in traffic. Usage of public transport is also yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, likely a symptom of many people now working from home.

Munich ranked 21st most traffic-congested city in Europe

Though the 74 hours Munich drivers wasted in 2022 may incline sympathy from the public transport users and cyclists that are so often at odds with drivers in Germany, the hours racked up in the Bavarian city's ranking seem like a blink of an eye in comparison to some European capitals.

Slow but steady, London won the international and European race in 2022, with drivers sitting in traffic for an average of 156 hours throughout the year. The French capital came in third place, with 138 hours, followed by Italy’s Palermo in sixth (121 hours), Dublin (114 hours) and Rome (107 hours).

According to Inrix's calculations, the time drivers spent waiting on the autobahn and elsewhere led to a significant loss of income. In 2021, this loss was calculated at an average of 371 euros over the course of the year. In 2022, this rose by 28 euros to 399 euros.

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