In 2024, Pokhara's transportation landscape is dominated by cars, bicycles, and home-based work, each accounting for a third of the commuting methods. The city faces challenges with CO2 emissions and traffic inefficiency, but offers relatively short commute times.

Average Commute Times

The average commute time across all modes is approximately 6.45 minutes, with a typical distance of 9.5 km.
  • Car - Car users experience an average driving time of 2.9 minutes over a distance of 9 km.
Traffic Breakdown
Car
33%
Home
33%
Bicycle
33%
Seasonal Trends

Traffic tends to increase during the tourist season, particularly in spring and autumn. Monsoon season can lead to reduced bicycle usage due to weather conditions.

Commuter Pain Points

Limited public transportation options can make commuting challenging for those without cars. Traffic congestion is often exacerbated by narrow roads and limited parking spaces.

Best Travel Times

Early mornings and late evenings are generally the best times to travel to avoid congestion. Midday travel can be more relaxed, especially outside of peak tourist seasons.

Event Impacts

Public events and festivals can significantly impact traffic, leading to road closures and increased congestion. Planning travel around major events is advisable to avoid delays.

Sustainability Efforts

The city is exploring initiatives to promote cycling and walking as sustainable commuting options. Efforts are underway to improve air quality by encouraging electric vehicle use.

Ride-Sharing Impact

Ride-sharing services are gaining popularity, offering flexible and convenient travel options. These services help reduce the number of private vehicles on the road, contributing to lower traffic congestion.

Traffic Rankings

The Traffic Index for Nepal combines user-contributed data on commute times, traffic dissatisfaction, CO2 emissions, and traffic system inefficiencies in Nepal, to provide insights into overall traffic conditions.

Worst to BestUpdated: Dec, 2024

Traffic Data

The following traffic data has been gathered from 3 user contributions.
Overall average travel
Distance
5.9 miles
Driving Car
1.4 mins
Bicycle
5.0 mins
Motorcycle
0.0 mins
Total:
6.5 mins
Average when primarily using Car
Distance
5.6 miles
Driving Car
2.9 mins
Total:
2.9 mins
Pokhara Traffic

"Key Takeaways"

Promoting cycling and remote work could further reduce traffic congestion and emissions.

Investing in public transportation infrastructure may improve traffic efficiency and reduce car dependency.

Key Indexes

Emissions

The CO2 emissions index is relatively high at 385.7, indicating significant environmental impact.

Efforts to reduce emissions could focus on promoting non-motorized transport and improving vehicle efficiency.

Time

The time index is 6.45, suggesting that commute times are generally short.

This reflects the compact nature of the city and efficient travel routes.

Inefficiency

The inefficiency index stands at 2.454, pointing to potential areas for improvement in traffic management.

Reducing reliance on cars and enhancing public transport could alleviate inefficiencies.