Traffic Congestion in Cities

Ever increasing Traffic congestion has become a major problem in rapidly growing cities. The health effects of urban air pollution alone are estimated to cost more than 5% of the GDP in developing countries. The Event will bring to the attention of Policy Makers and Planners, the problem of city congestion and the impact it has on cities. Measuring the problem is major step in solving it. Strategies to address the issue include better public transport, street connectivity and modern telematics. The TomTom company has developed a methodology to measure traffic congestion and represent it through a composite “Traffic Congestion Index” for cities. TomTom will present its methodology and the index to participants at this side event. In addition, UN-Habitat will also present under the theme of street design and connectivity as tools to reducing traffic congestion.

For presentations from the event, please see below:

Measuring Traffic Congestion by Edwin Kools Tom-Tom Foundation