Jakarta and congestion are two things that cannot be separated. If it's your first time coming to Jakarta, the first word you can learn is "macet", which often describes Jakarta as the capital city of Indonesia.

Recently the traffic density of the city of Jakarta was named in the list as one of the most stressful cities to drive in the world. Whether you need to be proud or not, Jakarta is in the third position on the list.

The report, made by Hiyacar, a British car-sharing platform, looks at several factors that influence traffic density in each city. Starting from the number of vehicles in each city, the level of traffic congestion, road quality, public transportation options and the number of traffic accidents per year, including the density level of the town.

Other factors that cause congestion also include the lack of awareness of road users with other vehicles. The assessment also consists of the driver's behaviour on the road, related to minimal compliance with regulations and reckless behaviour in cutting other people's paths.

 

 

 

 

 

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The assessment also includes using GPS navigation because it does not get an excellent signal to function properly to direct the trip.

These factors were then assessed by Hiyacar with a score of 1-10 points. Then after being calculated, the number of points that are more rated as the most stressful city to drive with traffic conditions.

This assessment makes Jakarta third on the list with 6.0 points. Jakarta is much better than Mumbai, which got 7.4 points and Paris, which gained 6.4 points.

Mumbai's population is 12,478,447 packed into 603 square kilometres, which averages at 20,694 people per square kilometres compared to London's much more comfortable 5,614 people per square kilometres. Furthermore, Mumbai's roads are crowded with 57,500,000 cars on the city streets and a 53% congestion ranking, second only to Moscow.

In the second place, Paris hosts 20,460 people per square kilometre and is home to 32,005,986 cars. A whole point higher in road quality and a much lower congestion ranking of 32% means that Paris is the most stressful city to drive in across Europe.

With an area of 664 square kilometres and a population of 11 million people, Jakarta has a total of 20 million vehicles in its territory. This is based on data from the Central Statistics Agency, which in 2020 totalled 3.3 million passenger cars and 16 million motorcycles. Another problem, the development of roads with transportation, has always been a significant issue. The number of vehicles added annually is about 5 to 10 per cent. In contrast, roads are only about 4 to 5 per cent.

So how to deal with stress due to this traffic jam? Hiyacar also gave suggestions, including deep breathing. The most simple and effective way. Inhale air through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Do this 10 times for a calming effect.

Another suggestion is to change the position of gripping the steering wheel and the sitting position. Try to slightly recline the seat, loosen the grip on the steering wheel or adjust the seat to be more relaxed.

Don't forget, use audio to listen to your favorite music or sing in the car. It can help to enjoy the moment even though you are in a traffic jam. Don't listen to the news.

The next suggestion is to turn off the cell phone. This is indeed a bit extreme, especially for those who are working. However, this action is necessary to minimize unwanted interference.

The use of public transportation, in this case, does not significantly reduce the impact of stress but can at least contribute to the reduction of vehicles on the highway. Depart faster to reduce the risk of problems on the road and a restless mind due to a rush.

Lastly, as Hiyacar did, share with others to travel. Use a trusted peer to peer car-sharing service. Specifically for Jakarta, several online transportation applications have done this before, but then it changed in security. But it can still be done by inviting co-workers or neighbours who have the same office as you. This, at the same time, reduces the number of vehicles on the highway.

 

 

 

 

 

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Complete list of cities with the most stressful traffic conditions

Mumbai, India: 7.4

Paris, France: 6.4

Jakarta, Indonesia: 6.0

Delhi, India: 5.9

New York, United States: 5.6

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 5.3

Nagoya, Japan: 5.1

London, United Kingdom: 5.0

Mexico City, Mexico: 4.9

Osaka, Japan: 4.9

Bangalore, India: 4.7

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 4.7

Bangkok, Thailand: 4.7

Chicago, United States: 4.7

Tokyo, Japan: 4.7

Istanbul, Turkey: 4.6

Manila, Philippines: 4.4

Moscow, Russia: 4.4

Los Angeles, United States: 4.3

Cairo, Egypt: 4.0

Guangzhou, China: 3.7

Beijing, China: 3.6

Chongqing, China: 3.6

Hong Kong, China: 3.3

Wuhan, China: 3.3

Chengdu, China: 3.1

Shanghai, China: 3.1

Buenos Aires, Argentina: 3.0

Shenzhen, China: 2.9

Bogotá, Colombia: 2.7

Nanjing, China: 2.7

São Paulo, Brazil: 2.7

Hangzhou, China: 2.6

Tianjin, China: 2.6

Dongguan, China: 2.4

Lima, Peru: 2.1