According to the Traffic Index, an annual report on congestion around the world by satnav producer TomTom, last year, car drivers in Leiden had to deal with the longest delays in the Netherlands.

Sitting in traffic

The Traffic Index is informed by around 600 million navigation systems, along with built-in systems and smartphones. Data was compiled to create a ranking, which features 416 cities. Motorways were not the only roads looked at for the index, roads in and around cities were also taken into account.

On average, it took drivers in Leiden 30% more time to reach their destination because of heavy traffic. This equates to an extra 18 minutes on a one-hour journey. But that isn’t the worst of it; in rush hour, car journeys took even longer. During morning rush hour, the average delay in Leiden meant journeys took 62 percent longer! This means that an hour’s travel ended up being one hour and 37 minutes.

The most congested cities in the Netherlands

The Hague is the second-most congested city in the Netherlands, with car journeys taking an average of 28 percent longer than they should. Haarlem and Nijmegen come in third and fourth respectively, with a 27 percent longer travel time. Amsterdam came in fifth place, with Arnhem following in sixth, both with journeys taking on average 26 percent longer than necessary due to congestion.

Top 10 congested Dutch cities

Here are the top 10 most congested cities in the Netherlands.

1. Leiden
2. The Hague
3. Haarlem
4. Nijmegen
5. Amsterdam
6. Arnhem
7. Rotterdam
8. Groningen
9. Utrecht
10. Eindhoven

Dutch cities not so bad after all

When you look at how the Dutch cities rank at a European level, it seems like we have it pretty good, with Leiden ranking 75th. The worst city for congestion at a European level is Moscow, with journeys taking 59 percent longer. Globally, the worst city for congestion is Bengaluru. There, the average car journey takes 71 percent longer than it should have. That means than an hour’s journey would take around one hour and 43 minutes.