Congestion
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Berlin is Germany's traffic jam capital according to TomTom analysis
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In greater Berlin, traffic flowed on average 40 percent slower than free flow last year, according to TomTom's annual traffic index. Essen and Hamburg follow with 39 percent each. Berlin's congestion level rose by seven percentage points compared to the previous year.
On January 4, 2026, many Japanese returned to major cities after spending year-end and New Year holidays in hometowns or tourist spots. This caused severe congestion on trains, highways, and other transport links. By 5:30 p.m., the Tohoku Expressway had 27 kilometers of backups, according to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center.