Cape Town is the most congested city in South Africa, and ranks ninth globally.
The 2023 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, which analysed over 940 cities, found that Capetonians wasted an average of 83 hours due to traffic delays last year, with an average travel distance of 10.9 km.
The data states that there’s been an increase in peak period travel times for motorists in the first quarter, compared to the first quarter of 2023.
Speaking to Cape Talk, transportation engineer Megan Bruwer said the City needs to improve its public transport systems, such as trains and rapid modes.
She says building and expanding more roads is also not the answer as it will actually increase the amount of traffic.
City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said they are aware of the fact that commuters spend far too much time in traffic and spend too much money on travelling.
He explains: “This is why we are setting aside billions to create new infrastructure to improve public transport, not only for those who are currently using public transport services but also to provide a viable alternative to single- occupancy vehicles.
“We are building new roads or widening the ones we have to address congestion.”