Britain's roads are the third most congested in Europe, with traffic problems costing drivers £30.8 billion a year. This comes from a new study that found British drivers spend on average 32 hours a year stuck in traffic.
The study by traffic analysts Inrix found Britain is only behind Russia and Turkey for congestion in Europe. London, however, remains the second most congested city in the continent, where drivers were found to spend 73 hours on average stuck in traffic in 2016.
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The world's worst traffic 2016
| Rank | Country | 2016 Peak Hours Spent in Congestion |
| 1 | Thailand | 61 |
| 2 | Colombia | 47 |
| 2 | Indonesia | 47 |
| 4 | Russia | 42 |
| 4 | U.S. | 42 |
| 6 | Venezuela | 39 |
| 7 | South Africa | 38 |
| 8 | Brazil | 37 |
| 8 | Puerto Rico | 37 |
| 10 | Turkey | 34 |
| 11 | UK | 32 |
Compared to previous years, congestion levels in London have fallen from 101 hours to 73 hours in 2016, but have risen across the UK from 30 hours to 32 hours. Manchester and Aberdeen are the second and third most congested cities in Britain, with drivers spending on average 39 and 35 hours stuck in traffic.
The UK's worst cities for Traffic congestion
|
Rank |
City |
2016 Peak hours spent in congestion |
Total cost per driver in 2016 |
Total cost to city in 2016 |
|
1 |
London |
73 |
£1,911 |
£6.2bn |
|
2 |
Manchester |
39 |
£1,136 |
£233m |
|
3 |
Aberdeen |
35 |
£1,331 |
£138m |
|
4 |
Birmingham |
34 |
£990 |
£407m |
|
5 |
Edinburgh |
31 |
£1,009 |
£225m |
|
6 |
Guildford |
29 |
£812 |
£44m |
|
7 |
Luton |
29 |
£965 |
£72m |
|
8 |
Bournemouth |
27 |
£1,019 |
£84m |
|
9 |
Hull |
27 |
£970 |
£109m |
|
10 |
Bristol |
27 |
£845 |
£154m |
The study analysed 87 cities and large urban areas in the UK and found the cost from wasting fuel, time and productivity for all drivers totalled £30.8 billion in 2016, an average of £968 per driver. Congestion was found to cost Londoners £1,911 a year, and £1,136 and £1,331 for those in Manchester and Aberdeen. Fees for Aberdeen are higher than Manchester as a higher proportion of driving is said to take place during peak congestion hours in Aberdeen than in Manchester.
The world's worst cities for traffic congestion
| Rank | Global City | Country | 2016 Peak Hours Spent in Congestion |
| 1 | Los Angeles | US | 104 |
| 2 | Moscow | Russia | 91 |
| 3 | New York | US | 89 |
| 4 | San Francisco | US | 83 |
| 5 | Bogota | Colombia | 80 |
| 6 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | 77 |
| 7 | London | UK | 73 |
| 8 | Atlanta | US | 71 |
| 9 | Paris | France | 65 |
| 10 | Miami | US | 65 |
Graham Cookson, chief economists at Inrix said: "Despite Brexit, 2016 saw the UK economy remaining stable, fuel prices staying low and employment growing to an 11-year high, all of which incentivizes road travel and helped increase congestion as the 2016 Traffic Scorecard demonstrates."
Cookson also advocated the use of road tolls and other fees to cut congestion: "The cost of this congestion is staggering, stripping the economy of billions, impacting businesses and costing consumers dearly. To tackle this problem, we must consider bold options such as remote working, wider use of road user charging and investment in big data to create more effective and intelligent transportation systems.”
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A Department for Transport spokesman said: "As announced in the autumn 2016 statement, we are also spending a further £1.3 billion over the course of this parliament to relieve congestion and provide important upgrades to ensure that our roads are fit for the future."
How much time do you spend stuck in traffic? Tell us in the comments below....