To be stuck in one hour of traffic after a long workday is frustrating – but imagine losing a total of 272 hours every year driving through traffic congestion. That’s the reality for residents of Bogota who endure eleven days and eight hours worth of waiting in the congested streets of Colombia every year. According to the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, Bogota ranked as the third most congested city in the world in 2018. INRIX calculates yearly traffic congestion by analyzing traffic and mobility trends all over the globe to assist and encourage policymakers to improve transportation laws.

With traffic congestion at an all-time high globally, governments are taking action to improve traffic flow in cities while promoting more public transportation use. Inner-city congestion can be attributed to different urban planning factors. Developing cities like Bogota, Bombay, and Bueno Aires often struggle with implicating proper transportation systems that fit the needs and size of their population. Other factors include fast economic grow when both population and motorization grow, as congestion begins to negatively hurt the environment and health of citizens.

INRIX encourages policymakers to view the growing course of traffic as a crisis of air pollution and climate change to avoid. With traffic emissions now accounting for 80% of all carbon dioxide in the environment, governments continue to work towards more eco-friendlier and passenger-helpful modes of transportation to prevent vehicles from negatively affecting the citizens driving them.