Drivers in Bucharest lose, on average, 12 working days annually due to congestion, according to Traffic Index 2025, an analysis carried out by the Institute for Visionary Cities. The index compares how much circulation slows down on working days compared to a free-flow regime, for the 41 county seat municipalities and Bucharest.
According to the analysis, small cities such as Reșița, Giurgiu, and Călărași have the smoothest traffic. At the opposite pole, Bucharest remains a special case, with drivers losing more than half of the legal annual leave due to congestion.
The report shows that cities are no longer blocked only when people enter and leave work, but also in the middle of the day, when fragmented daily activities produce prolonged congestion.
Overall, small towns lead the ranking of smooth mobility. Local officials here say that tram lines, underpasses, intelligent traffic light systems, and other such measures led to traffic fluidization.
Reșița, Giurgiu, and Călărași are the top three cities in the Index ranking. A resident here loses only 3–3.5 working days per year due to traffic congestion.
The 2025 analysis indicates, moreover, some spectacular leaps compared to last year’s Index results. Oradea climbs 17 places compared to 2024, while Alba Iulia and Bistrița gain eight positions each. Reșița, which consolidates its first place, also gains six places compared to last year.
In contrast, large cities remain under constant pressure. Bucharest continues to be the major exception of the Romanian urban network, with an ETTR (Excess Travel Time Ratio) of about 45% and losses due to congestion equivalent to more than 12.7 working days annually.
Timișoara and Iași also cross the threshold of 9 days lost per year, which indicates the need for structural measures.
However, there are also positive large-scale exceptions. Brăila and Galați, although exceeding 150,000 inhabitants, manage to enter the green zone of the ranking, with only 3.6-4.3 days lost per year due to traffic congestion. Their results show that a good average mobility pace, combined with a moderate speed difference between weekends and working days, can compensate for population size.
At the opposite pole of dynamics, some cities, some of them small, register steep declines compared to 2024. Alexandria and Cluj-Napoca each fall seven positions, while Brașov and Tulcea lose five. The explanations lie in new pressures on road networks, prolonged construction sites, or less efficient traffic management.
“Our analyzed data show that lunchtime is the new peak traffic. In many cities, minimum speeds are no longer recorded at 08:00 or 17:00, but between 11:00 and 14:00. The explanation comes from flexible work, staggered schedules, and a greater dispersion of travel flows throughout the day,” said Florian Filat, Executive Director, Institute for Visionary Cities, and project manager City Index.
“The impact of congestion is not measured only in kilometers per hour, but also in days of life lost annually due to traffic congestion. In the end, it means less time with family, less rest, and less personal freedom. Two cities with the same relative congestion can have a different impact in days lost, depending on the basic average speed at which traffic flows in the city,” he added.
(Photo source: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)
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