UK drivers spend more than a day each year in rush hour traffic
Posted on in Cycles News
Drivers in the UK spend more than a day each year stuck in rush hour traffic, new research from Inrix has shown.
Motorists in London lost an average of 74 hours - more than three days - in 2017, which is an hour more than in 2016. On average drivers in the capital travel at just 13mph during peak times, and is ranked seventh out of 1,360 global cities covered by the study for congestion.
After London, Manchester was the second most congested city in the UK with an average of 39 hours, followed by Lincoln and Birmingham.
The research also revealed the overall cost per driver in terms of wasted fuel and working time was £1,168.
In Scotland, Aberdeen and Edinburgh drivers lost 28 hours a year to peak time traffic and in Wales, the most congested city was Newport, where motorists spent 24 hours a year in jams.
In Northern Ireland, drivers in Belfast lost an average of 21 hours in 2017.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was investing £23bn in road schemes which would reduce congestion.
Commenting on the research, Cycling UK's Ducan Dollimore stated, "Unsurprisingly, it seems that those countries more renowned for their cycle infrastructure are less congested, but who needs facts and evidence when a counter narrative fits.
"Given the cost and scale of the congestion problems this report lays bare, it would be helpful if there was now an evidence-led discussion about the causes of congestion, and the potential solutions, such as getting people out of private cars in city centres and onto public transport, walking and cycling."