Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 19) — The government will expedite road projects after Metro Manila was ranked as having the worst traffic among metro areas worldwide, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday.
The Transportation Department said the capital region’s ranking in the recently released TomTom Traffic Index 2023 “poses a challenge” for the agency and the entire government.
“Our ongoing road transport infrastructure projects are directed at improving commuter experience while addressing worsening traffic in highly urbanized areas,” the department said in a statement.
“We will fast track road projects while collaborating with appropriate agencies with the help of the private sector,” it added.
The index showed motorists and commuters in Metro Manila lose around 117 hours per year to traffic congestion during rush hours.
It said it takes Filipinos an average of 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel just 10 kilometers — a far cry from the eight-minute average of Greensboro-High Point in North Carolina, United States, which ranked last in the list of 387 metro areas in 55 countries.
Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority, Metro Manila’s population was 13.48 million as of 2020. On the other hand, Greensboro had a population of over 300,000 as of 2022, while High Point had around 115,000 in the same year, according to US government data.
Lima in Peru followed Metro Manila in the TomTom list which ranked metropolitan areas. Bengaluru in India, Sapporo in Japan and Bogota in Colombia rounded up the bottom five.
Meanwhile, out of all city centers globally, London had the world’s worst traffic, while Manila placed ninth.
