How much time do we spend in traffic?

HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND IN TRAFFIC?

Italians waste 128 minutes a day stuck in traffic. The time they spend traveling by car is 10 hours and 40 minutes a week: a record, obviously a negative one, in Europe, where only Greece fares worse (13 hours and 2 minutes) and where the average for EU countries is 1 hour and 5 minutes. Think for a moment about the significance of these minutes, these hours, these days, that we waste in traffic: aside from time, we waste our health (for stress, due to the anxiety of being late, due to anger), well-being (traffic means pollution) and money (engines stay on and petrol is consumed).

CITIES WITH THE MOST TRAFFIC IN ITALY

Of course: we know that the public transport situation in many Italian cities, especially in the South, is disastrous and therefore this alternative is not always viable. But aside from the fact that there are many cities, even major ones—think of Milan, for example—where the public transport It's very efficient, even where the system generally lacks momentum. There are "best practices," namely bus, tram, or subway lines that work well. And in any case, the ratio of time spent traveling by car to time stuck in traffic is such that it should encourage less compulsive car use. Let's take the case of three large cities. In Rome, for every half hour spent driving in the city, you have to factor in 24 minutes stuck in traffic. Almost one to one. In Milan, the minutes drop, but only slightly, to 23, while in Naples, they reach 20 for every half hour in traffic.

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Traffic in cities in Italy

I don't want the public transportation deficit, for which this site does nothing but expose all the most scandalous situations, to also be an excuse for our misguided and wasteful lifestyles when it comes to mobility. According to the Observatory's statistics, 73 percent of Italians say they're ready to "give up their car." They're ready, but they don't. And not just because of the lack of alternatives, but also because of their well-established bad habits. 69 percent of people use their car to get to work, 86 percent to do the shopping (everyone, by the way, can deliver it to your home for next to nothing...), and no less than 64 percent to take their children to school (bad habits that thus become hereditary). Moreover, the alternative to private cars in the city—and I repeat: when possible—is not just public transportation. There's the beneficial pleasure of a walk. A healthy bike ride. And the ever-increasing offer of cars, bicycles, motorbikes, shared through the sharing services.

TRAFFIC AND LOSS OF INTELLIGENCE

Too many hours in the car also makes you an idiot, or simply less intelligent. This isn't a slogan, but the result of a thorough scientific study conducted by the University of Leicester to understand the effects of compulsive car use, an absolute waste (both in terms of time and money). The conclusion is chilling, but very encouraging for those of us who have made the fight against waste our mission. mission.

So, according to scientists, it is enough two hours per day in the car to lose a portion of our intelligence. Even more so if we spend this time, as is the norm, in traffic. The reason for the intellectual regression It's very simple, and doesn't need any particular explanation: stress., hard work and anxiety, all fueled by driving and traffic, only reduce our cognitive abilities. And thus, they make us slide down the intelligence scale.

THE BEST ALTERNATIVES TO THE CAR:

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• Taxi sharing: In Palermo, rides to and from the airport cost 80 percent less.
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