Study Finds Los Angeles Most Congested City in North America

~ TomTom launches quarterly Congestion Index to identify and address congestion hot spots in the United States and Canada ~

LEBANON, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TomTom today launches the first quarterly Congestion Index that accurately identifies and analyzes traffic congestion in major cities across North America. The report, initially covering 26 major cities, finds Los Angeles to be the most congested city in North America. On average, journey times in Los Angeles take 33% longer than when traffic in the city is flowing freely and 77% longer during evening rush hour. The TomTom Congestion Index, including individual city reports, can be found at www.tomtom.com/congestionindex.

“Over the years, with the help of our customers, we have built the largest and most accurate database of travel times in the world”

The TomTom Congestion Index is the world’s most accurate barometer of congestion in urban areas. The Index is uniquely based on real time travel data captured by vehicles driving along the entire road network within the select cities. TomTom’s traffic database contains over six trillion data measurements and is growing by five billion measurements every day.

The Congestion Index compares travel time during non-congested periods (free flow) with travel times in peak hours. The difference is expressed as a percentage increase in travel time, representing the congestion level. The top ten most congested cities, ranked by overall congestion level, between January and March 2012 were:

1. Los Angeles, 33%	6. San Francisco, 25%
2. Vancouver, 30%	7. Washington, 24%
3. Miami, 26%	8. Houston, 23%
4. Seattle, 25%	9. Toronto, 22%
5. Tampa, 25%	10. Ottawa, 22%

“Over the years, with the help of our customers, we have built the largest and most accurate database of travel times in the world,” said Harold Goddijn, Chief Executive Officer of TomTom. “When we combine this travel database with our detailed real-time traffic information and routing technology, we can not only pinpoint congestion, but can guide drivers away from congested areas onto faster routes.”

“Even when only a percentage of drivers use a different and faster route, the available capacity on the entire road network increases, which benefits all drivers,” Goddijn added.

TomTom’s Congestion Index also compares congestion levels between January and March 2012 with the same period in 2011. Based on this analysis, Seattle saw the biggest increase in traffic congestion, while Houston, Ottawa and San Francisco also saw increased levels of congestion. Conversely, Edmonton, New York, Boston, Minneapolis and Toronto experienced a reduction in congestion levels.

Notes to Editor

About the TomTom Congestion Index
The methodology used in the Congestion Index compares travel times during non-congested periods (free flow) with travel times in peak hours. The difference is expressed as a percentage increase in travel time. The Index takes into account local roads, arterials, as well as highways. All data is based on actual GPS based measurements.

A comparison is made for the travel times during the quarter and this is compared with the same period a year ago.

As well as assigning and ranking the overall congestion levels of 26 cities, the report analyzes the congestion levels in cities at different times of the day and on different days of the week. TomTom analyzed cities with a population of over 800,000, as well as Washington D.C.

Individual city reports include more detailed information such as the most congested day, average free flow speed, time delay per year for commuters and congestion levels on main and secondary roads.

A separate European Congestion Index report is also available.

To download the European or North American Congestion Index report go to www.tomtom.com/congestionindex.

Results Summary
Rank	City	Country	Overall Congestion level (%)	Morning peak (%)	Evening peak (%)
1	Los Angeles	United States	33	56	77
2	Vancouver	Canada	30	51	65
3	Miami	United States	26	42	54
4	Seattle	United States	25	48	70
5	Tampa	United States	25	31	59
6	San Francisco	United States	25	51	62
7	Washington	United States	24	44	56
8	Houston	United States	23	41	65
9	Toronto	Canada	22	47	56
10	Ottawa	Canada	22	55	75
11	Atlanta	United States	21	38	51
12	Montreal	Canada	20	37	63
13	San Diego	United States	19	33	47
14	Chicago	United States	19	27	43
15	New York	United States	17	32	41
16	Calgary	Canada	17	17	22
17	Philadelphia	United States	17	29	37
18	Dallas	United States	16	32	41
19	Boston	United States	16	28	35
20	Baltimore	United States	15	26	40
21	Riverside	United States	15	27	38
22	Phoenix	United States	14	27	35
23	Edmonton	Canada	13	23	27
24	St Louis	United States	13	23	27
25	Detroit	United States	12	18	28
26	Minneapolis	United States	12	26	29

Further information and key contacts

For full information about the Congestion Index contact Lea Armstrong, 978-405-1840, [e-mail]

About TomTom

Founded in 1991, TomTom (AEX:TOM2) is the world’s leading supplier of in-car location and navigation products and services focused on providing all drivers with the world’s best navigation experience. Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has over 3,500 employees and sells its products in over 40 countries.

Our products include portable navigation devices, in-dash infotainment systems, fleet management solutions, maps and real-time services, including the award winning TomTom HD Traffic.

For the world’s most up-to-date route planner, including live traffic information go to www.tomtom.com/livetraffic

For further information, please visit www.tomtom.com