Brussels and Antwerp have most traffic

Drivers spend more time stuck in traffic in and around Antwerp and Brussels than anywhere else in the world, according to July figures from traffic software company Inrix, reports De Tijd. Brussels is the absolute champion when it comes to traffic. A driver there spends an average of 85.4 hours per year in traffic jams. Antwerp follows closely in second place with 76.7 hours per year. Los Angeles, Milan and London complete the top five. For the whole of Belgium, a driver spends on average 59.7 hours in traffic. That, too, results in a first place, with the Netherlands following in second place with 46.1 hours per year. "The ring roads around Antwerp and Brussels gather an extremely high amount traffic over a relatively short distance," says traffic expert Isaac Yperman of the research facility Transport & Mobility Leuven. "Brussels attracts many commuters who live outside the city." The researcher also points to Belgian-specific issues such as the high amount of freight transport in the country and the short distances between slip roads.