Ultimate gridlock: The world's most painful commutes

ULTIMATE GRIDLOCK The World's Most Painful Commutes Think your daily commute is bad? Just take a look at some of the major cities of the world and you might instantly feel better. From aggressive drivers to completely unreliable journey times, commuters in these cities have to deal with some of the worst traffic in the world. Here's a look at who has it the worst and how all that congestion affects commuters. THE WORLD'S WORST COMMUTES IBM surveyed more than 8,000 drivers in 20 cities around the world to gauge just how bad each city's commute really is. The following index ranks road traffic in some of the world's busiest cities. Figures reflect an index score based on the IBM Commuter Pain Survey and represents the emotional and economic toll of commuting in 20 international cities. High index scores represent a more painful commute. MEXICO CITY SHENZHEN, CHINA 95 BEIJING 95 NAIROBI 88 JOHANNESBURG 83 BANGALORE 75 NEW DELHI 72 MOSCOW 65 MILAN 53 SINGAPORE 44 BUENOS AIRES 42 LOS ANGELES SYMPTOMS OF A PAINFUL COMMUTE 34 So what makes a commute so bad? Many different factors. PARIS The IBM study identified the following characteristics as 31 symptoms of a terrible commute. MADRID • LONG COMMUTING TIME • LONG TIME STUCK IN TRAFFIC 28 AND RESPONDENTS' AGREEMENT THAT: NEW YORK 28 • PRICE OF PETROL IS ALREADY TOO HIGH TORONTO • TRAFFIC HAS BECOME WORSE 27 • START/STOP TRAFFIC IS A PROBLEM STOCKHOLM 26 • DRIVING CAUSES STRESS CHICAGO • DRIVING CAUSES ANGER 25 • TRAFFIC AFFECTS WORK LONDON • TRAFFIC IS SO BAD THE RESPONDENT STOPPED DRIVING 23 • BAD TRAFFIC STOPPED THEM FROM MAKING A TRIP MONTREAL 21 WHAT TODAY'S COMMUTERS FACE Though in many cities road traffic has improved over the last THE WORST PART OF THE COMMUTE few years, commuters still face frustrating stop/start traffic Stop/start traffic and sluggish speeds. 51% Unreliable journey time THE AVERAGE COMMUTE 31% Low speed 28% Rude or aggressive drivers 27% 12.8 miles one way 33 minutes Roughly 23 miles per hour There's nothing to complain about 11% STRESS LEVELS RISING 2010 vs. 2011 MILAN JOHANNESBURG NEW YORK 38% 61% 30% ) 52% 13% 45% Commuters several cities are more stressed today than ever due to increased congestion. These six cities posted the most notable jumps LOS ANGELES TORONTO LONDON in the percentage of commuters who say road 21% ) 44% 14% ) 40% 19% ) 33% traffic has increased their stress levels. HOW TRAFFIC AFFECTS US Traffic is more than a mere hassle - it can actually take a toll on our health. A sluggish twice-daily drive or train ride can pack on lots of anger and stress. TRAFFIC AND HEALTH IN A WORLD WITHOUT TRAFFIC ... O 69% say traffic negatively affects their health. 56% would spend more time with family and friends. 42% report increased stress due to traffic. 48% would exercise more. O 35% report increased anger due to traffic. O 29% would sleep more. SOURCES I IBM 2011 COMMUTER PAIN STUDY, GIZMODO, FORBES, NEW YORK TIMES Confused.com