The Best And Worst Cities To Drive In
We all know what it’s like to drive on roads that are in poor condition because let’s be honest, there are many places in South Africa where potholes, heavy traffic congestion and general road quality is pretty terrible. But how do South African cities compare to other parts of the world?
The largest online car parts retailer in Germany, kfzteile24, has conducted a study into the best and worst cities for driving. kfzteile24 have seen first hand that road quality has a direct effect on vehicle longevity with some car parts such as brake discs wearing out faster in cities with higher levels of congestion and air filters needing to be replaced more often where there are higher levels of dust and air pollution. They commissioned this extensive study into the quality of driving internationally, not only to encourage cities to make necessary improvements to infrastructure, but to boost the development of civic values and education around the world.
To conduct the research, several criteria were examined; average vehicle age, congestion levels, public transport options, average cost of parking, cost of fuel, average speeds, levels of air pollution, accidents and fatalities, road quality and the frequency/perception of road rage. Any traffic delays or congestion caused by temporary construction work was not taken into account. They studied the top 500 cities with the highest number of registered vehicles and available traffic data to determine the final list of 100 cities. The results showcase the best and worst cities to drive in, which aims to give an overall picture of driving quality around the globe.
“Cars are an important accessory of modern life, and the means by which many use to get from A to B. Yet poor urban planning or a lack of civil education can make driving the most stressful experience of somebody’s day.” commented Thomas Kloubert, CMO of kfzteile24. “We hope that this study will act as a catalyst for those cities in the negative end of the ranking to invest in safer, cleaner and more efficient roads, and consider how methods adopted by higher scoring cities can be utilised in their own locations.”
Cape Town, South Africa ranks in position 62 out of 100 cities (100 being the worst to drive in). Information and a breakdown of scores for Cape Town can be seen below:
The following table shows the top 10 best cities to drive around the world:
The following table shows the top 10 worst cities to drive in around the world:
N.B. These tables are extracts from the full results, which can be found here. Methodology can also be found alongside the full results and at the bottom of this press release.
The results of the study show that over half of the top 20 best driving cities are located in Europe, and the others in North America, Australia, highly developed Asia and the United Arab Emirates. On the other end of the scale, the 20 worst cities for driving include rapidly developing but lower income cities in India, South America, Eastern Europe, South-East Asia and Africa. A lack of good public transport alternatives and poor road quality are the two major factors contributing to bad driving experiences in these locations. While many cities in the US are revealed as some of the best for driving, Miami, Los Angeles and New York City are among the worst in the study.
Further insights:
- The German city Düsseldorf is the world’s best city to drive in, followed by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
- Switzerland also has the world’s safest roads, with fewer road traffic injuries than any other country on the list. Bangkok ranks the worst for road traffic injuries.
- Dutch cities enjoy low levels of congestion, with Rotterdam and Amsterdam ranking within the top 10 least congested cities.
- Tokyo is the city with the best alternative transport options to driving, followed by London and Berlin.
- Ulaanbaatar is the city with the worst public transport options, followed by Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City.
- New York has the most expensive parking in the world, costing $27.61 for one hour in the city centre.
- Half of the top 10 most expensive cities for parking are in the United States.
- Kolkata has the cheapest parking, costing $0.31 for the same duration.
- Gasoline is cheapest in Lagos, costing just $0.46 for one liter (August 2017). Dubai and Kuala Lumpur place second and third.
- Gasoline is most expensive in Hong Kong, costing $1.94 for one liter on the same date.
- Despite its own oil reserves, Norway has the second most expensive gasoline of the countries included.
- The Norwegian capital Oslo has the fastest average speed between the international airport and city centre, at 44.10 miles per hour for drivers.
- Mumbai and Lisbon have the joint slowest average speed between the international airport and city centre, at just 8.10 miles per hour for drivers.
- Calgary has the lowest level of air pollution of the cities included, followed by Ottawa and Seattle.
- Lagos has the highest air pollution of the cities included, followed by Karachi and Ulaanbaatar.
- Seven of the top ten most polluted cities are in Asia. Four of the bottom ten least polluted cities are in Canada.
- Helsinki, Singapore, Manchester and French cities Bordeaux, Paris, Nice and Marseille score joint first place for road quality worldwide.
- Romania has the worst road quality out of the countries included in the study, followed by Mongolia and Russia.
Full results for all 100 cities can be found on the results page here.
Data and graphics via: kfzteili24