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Traffic jam costs huge sum in Brazilian city

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-19 11:20

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The traffic jam of motor vehicles in Sao Paulo of Brazil costs some 33 million reais ($20.13 million) per year, equivalent to 10 percent of the city's gross domestic product, according to a study released by the Getulio Vargas Foundation on Monday.

According to professor Marcos Cintra of the foundation, 27 million reais ($16.47 million) are lost by the waste of time people staying in their cars due to jams instead of working.

More fuel is used when cars are stuck on the road, and there is more fuel emission in jams which causes more diseases, according to the study.

All of the above have caused the low efficiency and high expenses, said the professor.

"It will affect the country's whole economy if the situation deteriorates," he warned.

Dario Rais Lopes, vice-president of Brazil's Engineering Institute, said the government should focus on better management of the city's space to reduce car using.

Founded in 1944, the Getulio Vargas Foundation is a prestigious Brazilian think tank and also one of the top Brazilian institutes of higher learning.