Amsterdam traffic improves with drop in tourism; Haarlem traffic now the worst

The coronavirus restrictions having people work from home and dampening tourism had a visible effect on the Dutch roads last year, according to the TomTom Traffic Index. Amsterdam, in particular, saw a drop in traffic, resulting in the Dutch capital falling outside of the top 10 most congested cities in the Netherlands. Haarlem now has the worst traffic in the country.

Amsterdam ended in the 12th spot on the list of the 17 largest cities in the Netherlands. According to TomTom, a combination of work from home and less tourism resulted in a 31 percent drop in traffic compared to 2019. Amsterdam had a congestion level of 18 percent. That means a delay of just over 5 minutes for every half-hour ride.

Last year, the city with the most traffic was Haarlem, with a traffic jam level of 28 percent. Motorists could expect a delay of 8.5 minutes for a half-hour journey. According to TomTom, that amounts to 64 hours per year spent stuck in traffic. 

The Hague was in second place with a congestion level of 26 percent, followed by Groningen in third at 22 percent. Leiden and Apeldoorn completed the top 5.

Almere had the least traffic, with an average delay of 3 minutes on a 30-minute trip. That's a congestion level of 10 percent. 

Worldwide, the Netherlands scores pretty well when it comes to traffic flow. Haarlem is 103rd in the world ranking. 

Istanbul has the worst traffic globally, with a congestion level of 62 percent. That means motorists spend an average of 20 minutes stuck in traffic per half-hour trip. Moscow and Kyiv came in second and third.