The Gironde metropolis ranks first in the barometer of the most congested cities in France, according to the TomTom Traffic Index. It takes on average 31 minutes and 8 seconds to travel 10km, a slowdown due in particular to the peaceful traffic policy desired by the town hall.
“In the morning and in the evening, it’s infamous,” confides a motorist, disappointed but placid at the microphone of BFMTV. This driver’s observation is widely shared: Bordeaux is very congested.
And the statistics prove him right. According to the TomTom Traffic Index barometer, Bordeaux ranks as the most congested city in France. It takes on average 31 minutes and 8 seconds to cover 10km. With this French record, Bordeaux also ranks 24th among the most congested cities in the world, with 113 hours per year lost in traffic jams during peak hours. In the world, Barranquilla, in Colombia, announces 130 hours lost, followed by Calcutta, in India.
As far as French metropolises are concerned, the capital is close behind Bordeaux with 28 min 53 sec to cover 10 km. Marseille, Nice and Nantes complete the French ranking.
Congestion as a result of city policy
According to Bordeaux town hall, congestion in the city is the consequence of the absence of expressways but also the result of traffic calming measures. For Didier Jeanjean, deputy mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic: “In Bordeaux, we have brought the city to 30. In front of all the schools, we are calming the streets. […] Residents ask us for stops to break the speed of speed bumps in streets that go too fast.” Measures which, if they penalize motorists, are also considered “virtuous” by the town hall.
This ranking was carried out by the GPS company TomTom, ranking 500 cities in 63 countries.
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