The TomTom Traffic Index for 2024 has revealed that Amsterdam has the slowest-moving car traffic in the Netherlands. Driving 10 kilometres through the Dutch capital takes an average of 23 minutes - the longest travel time in the country.

TomTom Traffic Index 2024

Every year, TomTom looks at traffic jams in 500 cities across 62 countries from around the world. For each city, researchers calculated the average travel time over 10 kilometres, how much traffic congestion is reported and the average amount of time that drivers lose as a result of time spent in traffic jams every year. 

In 2024, the study found that Barranquilla in Columbia had the longest average travel time at over 36 minutes to cover 10 kilometres. With a congestion level of 45 percent, drivers lose a total of 130 hours while sitting in traffic every year.

London took the number one spot for the worst travel time in Europe and the fifth-worst worldwide at around 33 minutes to drive 10 kilometres in the city centre. The ranking in Europe was followed by the likes of Dublin and Barcelona.

Traffic speeds decreased across the world

According to TomTom, more than 75 percent of global cities saw the average speed of traffic decrease last year. This was mainly due to congestion levels, rather than changes in road infrastructure to slow speeding, as is proven by the fact that under optimal conditions with free-flowing traffic, average speeds remained stable.

The worst traffic conditions were more often to take place during bad weather when visibility and traction were not ideal, leading to more accidents on the roads. 

Amsterdam drivers spend the longest time stuck in traffic

The Dutch capital was ranked as having the longest travel times in the Netherlands with an average of 22 minutes and 36 seconds needed to cover 10 kilometres - 6 percent longer than in 2023. In the global ranking, Amsterdam was put in the 136th position. However, when looking at how long residents would spend driving this same distance during optimal travel time (when there is the least traffic) compared with rush hour, there was a large difference: 33 minutes versus 49 minutes. 

While Amsterdam has the worst travel time in the Netherlands, it is not actually the most congested Dutch city. That honour goes to Groningen with a congestion level of 32 percent, losing drivers 44 hours of their year in rush hour traffic. Amersfoort had the shortest travel time with just 9 minutes and 48 seconds needed to drive 10 km.

Overall, almost all Dutch cities saw an increase in how much time they spent behind the wheel travelling through the Netherlands in 2024. The main reasons for this are due to traffic jams and roadworks. The introduction of the lower 30-kilometre-per-hour speed limit also contributed. This is expected to get worse, especially around Amsterdam as extreme traffic congestion is expected this year due to maintenance work and the major events taking place in 2025. 

Dutch cities with the worst traffic in 2024

In all, these were the cities in the Netherlands with the longest travel time last year:

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

For more information and to see the full ranking, visit the TomTom website. 

Thumb image credit: T.W. van Urk / Shutterstock.com