KIRKLAND, Wash. – November 3, 2010 – INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic information, released the INRIX Belgium Traffic Scorecard, a comprehensive country-wide perspective and city-by-city analysis on traffic congestion. A comparison among six different countries found that Paris is the most congested city on the continent, followed by London.
Generally, Belgium drivers spend more time in traffic compared to drivers in France, but less than in the U.K., the Netherlands and Germany. With roads clogged with traffic congestion on average 26 hours a week across the country’s worst bottlenecks, traffic has a major impact on consumers’ daily commute, the Belgian economy and the environment.
The scorecard revealed that the worst place and time to be on Belgium’s roads is in Brussels on Monday from 8:00- 9:00 where it takes more than 58 percent longer on average compared to the same journey in uncongested conditions. Overall, the journey or Travel Time Tax1 (T3) for Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg was 21 percent, meaning that a random journey along these roads during peak weekday driving hours takes 21 percent longer on average compared to the same journey uncongested conditions. The region’s T3 is the slightly behind the United Kingdom, slightly ahead of Germany, and nearly 50% greater than France.
By analyzing traffic on major motorways in the region’s 22 largest metropolitan areas, the Scorecard provides a comprehensive snapshot into the intractable issues of urban traffic congestion. According to the report, the Top 5 Most Congested Cities in Belgium2 span all regions and the worst hours are:
1. Brussels : Drivers waste 65 hours per year in traffic3, Worst Hour = Monday 8:00-9:00
2. Antwerpen : Drivers waste 64 hours per year in traffic3, Worst Hour = Friday 17:00-18:00
3. Gent : Drivers waste 33 hours per year in traffic3, Worst Hour = Thursday 8:00-9:00
4. Liège : Drivers waste 17 hours per year in traffic3, Worst Hour = Tuesday 8:00-9:00
5. Charleroi : Drivers waste 26 hours per year in traffic3, Worst Hour = Friday 16:00-17:00
“With roads in Belgium clogged with traffic congestion on average 26 hours a week across the region’s worst bottlenecks, traffic continues to have a major impact on European mobility, the economy and the environment,” said Hans Puvogel, GM of INRIX Europe. “Our business is built on knowing what’s going on with traffic day in and day out in 20 countries. The Scorecard, and the data powering the report, will contribute enormously to a better understanding of traffic congestion on French’s roads helping governments and businesses free people and commerce from gridlock.”
Belgium’s Traffic Patterns & Worst Bottlenecks
The INRIX Benelux Traffic Scorecard takes a micro look at traffic problems all across the region – zooming in on the total hours spent in traffic, worst day of the week for commuting and average speeds for the top 22 cities across Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg, along with hundreds of other details including the identification of the worst traffic bottlenecks the country’s drivers crawl through every day. Unique patterns evolving out of the region’s traffic congestion include:
• Worst Traffic Day: Thursday
• Worst Week Day Morning: Thursday
• Worst Commuting Hour: Thursday 8:00-9:00
• Worst Afternoon Commute: Friday
• Best Week Day for Traffic: Friday
• Best Week Day Morning: Friday
• Best Week Day Commuting Hour: Friday 6:00-7:00
• Best Week Day Afternoon: Monday
In analyzing and ranking the worst traffic bottlenecks across Belgium, The most congested segment is in Antwerpen, a 0,48 km section of the outer ring of R1, direction Berchem at the Linkeroever interchange, which was congested 45 hours a week, with an average speed below 31,2 km/h when congested. According to the report, the Top 10 Worst Traffic Bottlenecks in Belgium are:
1. Antwerpen: R1 heading Berchem up to Linkeroever
2. Brussel: R0 heading Groot Bijgaarden up to Expo Rom. Stwg.
3. Brussel: R0 heading Groot Bijgaarden up to Wemmel
4. Brussel: R0 heading St Stevens Woluwe up to Zellik
5. Brussel: R0 heading Groot Bijgaarden up to Strombeek Bever
6. Antwerpen: E17 heading Antwerpen up to Antwerpen West
7. Brussel: R0 heading Groot Bijgaarden up to Zaventem Henneaulaan
8. Antwerpen: R1 heading Rerchem up to Antwerpen Zuid
9. Brussel: R0 heading Groot Bijgaarden up to R22
10. Brussel: R0 heading St Stevens Woluwe up to Groot-Bijgaarden
About the INRIX Benelux Traffic Scorecard
The INRIX Benelux Traffic Scorecard uniquely measures Belgium’s traffic congestion problem by going beyond the traditional limitations of road sensors and statistical sampling techniques to evaluate real-time traffic on almost every major metropolitan roadway. It leverages INRIX’s Smart Driver Network, the first truly national traffic data collection network which uses a crowd-sourced based approach to collecting traffic information.
Each data report from these GPS-equipped vehicles and devices includes the speed, location and heading of a particular vehicle at a reported date and time with commercial vehicles reporting every minute for up to 7 hours per day. With the world’s largest traffic network, INRIX generates the most comprehensive and timely congestion analyses to date, covering the Benelux region’s 22 largest metropolitan areas. INRIX then processes and blends other relevant traffic-related data such as road sensors, traffic crash and incident data and other resources to provide the most comprehensive and accurate traffic information available.
Rankings and scorecards of the Most Congested Cities in Belgium, along with an executive summary of the report findings are now available at the INRIX Benelux Traffic Scorecard website at euscorecard.inrix.com. The extensive data powering the INRIX Benelux Traffic Scorecard is immediately available under license for further analysis and review by government agencies and commercial organizations including transportation industry organizations.
To learn more about the Scorecard’s findings, you can also register for a free webinar planned for November 10, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET where INRIX Vice President of Public Sector Rick Schuman and GM of INRIX Europe Hans Puvogel will provide a detailed review of key findings and INRIX traffic data can be applied to improving transportation planning, traffic management and measuring system performance.
