TomTom's 2024 Traffic Index reveals that Hat Yai in Songkhla province surpasses Bangkok to become the most congested city in Thailand. The study attributes the heavy traffic to a combination of static and dynamic factors, with the influx of Malaysian tourists potentially playing a significant role.
Netherlands-based location technology specialist TomTom recently published its 14th edition of the TomTom Traffic Index, an annual report that provides a unique overview of global traffic trends. This year's report revealed a surprising result for the list of most congested cities in Thailand : Hat Yai , a city in Songkhla province bordering Malaysia, has overtaken Bangkok as the city with the worst traffic in the country.
The TomTom Traffic Index ranks 500 cities across 62 countries based on their average travel time and congestion levels in 2024. For Thailand, the study found that Hat Yai experienced the most severe traffic congestion last year, with an average travel time of 24 minutes and 12 seconds per 10 kilometers and a congestion level of 40%. This placed Hat Yai at 102nd globally for traffic congestion. Chiang Mai came in second among Thai cities with the worst traffic, registering an average travel time of 23 minutes and 31 seconds per 10 kilometers and a congestion level of 37%. Rounding out the top 5 most congested Thai cities are Khon Kaen (22 minutes and 19 seconds average travel time per 10km), Bangkok (21 minutes and 51 seconds average travel time per 10km), and Nakhon Ratchasima (20 minutes and 57 seconds average travel time per 10km). TomTom attributes the variations in travel times across cities to a combination of static and dynamic factors. Static factors include fixed aspects of a city's infrastructure and planning, such as road network design, while dynamic factors are ever-changing conditions that impact traffic flow daily, such as seasonal traffic surges.One potential dynamic factor that may have contributed to Hat Yai's heavy traffic last year is its popularity among Malaysian tourists. In 2024, Thailand saw a surge in Malaysian visitors, with a massive 4,506,898 Malaysians visiting the country during the first 11 months. A large number of these visitors traveled to Southern Thailand, particularly during holidays such as Hari Malaysia and the Christmas-New Year period, often driving their own vehicles. The influx of Malaysian tourists, coupled with existing traffic conditions in Hat Yai, could have significantly exacerbated congestion in 2024
Traffic Congestion Hat Yai Thailand Tomtom Traffic Index Malaysian Tourists
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