Despite promises of better road networks and surfaces, UK motorists still spend an average of 30 hours a year sitting in traffic, a new report from technology and transportation analytics INRIX shows.
The report analysed traffic congestion around the UK and Europe and found those living in London spend on average 101 hours a year tackling congestion and traffic – over three times the national average, and the highest in all of Europe. Even cities like Paris and Moscow fell behind the British capital. Worse still is the fact that average time spent in traffic in London rose by 5.2 hours a year compared to 2014.
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The second most congested area is Greater Manchester, where drivers spend on average 51 hours a year dealing with traffic jams. Overall, traffic levels rose in 11 of the 18 UK metropolitan areas, with cities like Birmingham registering a decline in traffic delays thanks to completed road works.
Although London tops the charts for the most congested city in Europe, the UK as a whole falls behind many smaller European nations for congestion. The UK is ranked sixth in Europe, behind countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and even Switzerland (which it swapped places with in 2015). Belgium is still Europe’s most congested country, with drivers wasting on average 44 hours a year in traffic.
The good news is that many of the European countries, UK included, are showing a fall in average time spent in traffic. Bryan Mistele, President & CEO of INRIX, said: “London is the victim of its own success, with a robust jobs market and a growing economy attracting more people, more construction and consequently more traffic.”
Top 10 most congested UK cities
See how your city compares to London...
|
Rank |
UK Metropolitan Area |
Hours Wasted in 2015 |
Change from 2014 (in Hours) |
|
1 |
London Commute Zone |
101 |
+5.2 |
|
2 |
Gr. Manchester |
51 |
-0.4 |
|
3 |
Gr. Belfast |
38 |
+0.9 |
|
4 |
Merseyside |
37 |
+0.3 |
|
5 |
S. Nottinghamshire |
35 |
+0.6 |
|
6 |
Birmingham / Black Country |
34 |
-2.5 |
|
7 |
Avon & N. Somerset |
30 |
-0.4 |
|
8 |
Leeds-Bradford |
29 |
+0.3 |
|
9 |
Coventry & Warwick |
28 |
+0.3 |
|
10 |
S. Yorkshire |
27 |
-0.3 |
Top 10 most congested countries in Europe
And how the rest of the EU compares to the UK
|
European Country 2015 Rank |
European Country 2014 Rank |
Country |
2014 Avg. Hours Wasted |
2015 Avg. Hours Wasted |
Change from 2014 in Hours |
|
1 |
1 |
Belgium |
51 |
44 |
-6.3 |
|
2 |
2 |
Netherlands |
41 |
39 |
-1.5 |
|
3 |
3 |
Germany |
39 |
38 |
-0.7 |
|
4 |
4 |
Luxemburg |
34 |
33 |
-0.9 |
|
5 |
6 |
Switzerland |
29 |
30 |
1.2 |
|
6 |
5 |
UK |
30 |
30 |
-0.1 |
|
7 |
7 |
France |
29 |
28 |
-0.3 |
|
8 |
8 |
Austria |
25 |
25 |
0.4 |
|
9 |
9 |
Ireland |
24 |
25 |
0.5 |
|
10 |
10 |
Italy |
20 |
19 |
-0.6 |
|
11 |
11 |
Spain |
17 |
18 |
0.2 |
|
12 |
12 |
Portugal |
6 |
6 |
-0.2 |
|
13 |
13 |
Hungary |
5 |
5 |
|
How much time do you think you waste a year sitting in traffic? Tell us in the comments below...