The time drivers in Germany spent stuck in traffic jams has dropped considerably over the past year. However, long queues on German roads have started to build back up again as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

Traffic has decreased in city centres

The number of cars on the roads in German city centres declined significantly in 2020, according to the “Global Traffic Scorecard 2020” by traffic analyser Intrix. The study found that in February 2021, one year on from the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in Germany, the number of trips to Germany city centres was still 40 percent “below the pre-crisis level of February 2020.”

The study also found that drivers in Germany only lost 26 hours to traffic jams in 2020, compared to 46 hours in 2019. The time drivers spent stuck in traffic jams decreased the most in the cities of Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, both of which saw delays shorten by 23 hours. The effects of coronavirus in Germany were cited as the reason for the reduced traffic and delays; more people were working from home and shops and leisure facilities were closed for the most part of last year.

Congestion continues to plague German roads

Congestion still remained an issue in Germany, despite the reduced traffic on roads. Commuters in Munich still spent 65 hours in traffic jams over the year, although this was down from 87 hours in 2019. Drivers lost the most time in Munich compared to any other German city, followed by Berlin (where drivers spent 46 hours in traffic), and Nuremberg (35 hours).

According to the data, the street where drivers have to wait the longest in Germany is the Tempelhofer Damm / Mehringdamm (B96) in Berlin. Here, drivers lose an average of four minutes during peak times, which adds up to 14 hours a year on average. Drivers can also expect to wait 13 hours every year on Schleissheimer Strasse in Munich and 12 hours a year at Ratsmühlendamm / Fühlsbüttler Strasse in Hamburg.

Other companies have also analysed traffic data from last year, using slightly different metrics, to offer further insight into Germany’s roads. The navigation specialist, TomTom, found that Berlin was the hardest hit by traffic jams in 2020 and the ADAC motoring association found that the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria suffered from the longest queues on the Autobahn.

Traffic returns as lockdown eases

The study found that traffic increased, almost to pre-crisis levels, in Germany during the summer, as restrictions began to be relaxed across the country. Munich, in particular, saw a huge increase in traffic on its roads. Even during the second lockdown, traffic levels across the country remained much higher than during the first.