Hague motorists spend most time in traffic; More traffic jams almost everywhere

Netherlands residents took longer to get to their destination last year. According to navigation maker TomTom’s annual “traffic index,” delays have increased in almost every city surveyed.

The delay is greatest in The Hague. In the city, motorists reach an average speed of 31 kilometers per hour during rush hour. TomTom calculated the extra travel time based on a trip of 10 kilometers there and 10 kilometers back during the busiest parts of the day. Calculated over an entire year, motorists spent more than 72 extra hours on such a route through The Hague than if there had been no traffic jams and congestion. That is almost an hour and a half more than in 2022.

In Utrecht, the total delay increased by over six hours to almost 71 hours of delay. In Nijmegen, the extra travel time increased from over 55 hours to more than 60 hours. Rotterdam and Amsterdam follow.

Of the 17 cities surveyed in the Netherlands, Almere had the least delays. In Leiden, the delays decreased, and in Amersfoort, they remained virtually the same.

According to TomTom, there are several reasons why delays have increased. For example, several cities have lowered their speed limits. “That obviously affects the average travel time because we are not allowed to get from A to B as quickly.” There were also many days with bad weather, which caused longer traffic jams. Furthermore, more people took the car to work due to strikes in public transport.

Compared to other countries, the Netherlands is doing quite well. In the Irish capital, Dublin, motorists spent over 158 hours per year in traffic, over twice as much as in The Hague. In the British capital, London, traffic reached an average speed of only 14 kilometers per hour during rush hour.