Road traffic congestion cost the UK economy £6.9bn last year, according to data released by mobility intelligence firm Inrix.
Published today, the 2019 Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard analysed the severity of congestion across the country’s top 102 urban areas.
To accurately reflect the diversity of the current mobility landscape, it includes both public transport and biking metrics for the first time.
The findings show, on average, Brits spent 115 hours in congestion, at a cost of £894 per driver.
London was the most congested UK city with drivers losing 149 hours in 2019, at a cost to the economy exceeding £4.9bn.
Belfast (112 hours), Bristol (103 hours), Edinburgh (98 hours) and Manchester (92 hours) complete the top five.
Cardiff saw the biggest growth in congestion, increasing 5% to 87 hours per driver, whilst Nottingham’s congestion decreased by 17%, the biggest drop in the UK top 10.
Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at Irix, said: “Congestion costs drivers, businesses and the UK economy billions of pounds each year.
“With the rising price of motoring, consumers are getting hit hardest.
“With the UK budget due soon, hopefully the chancellor will take the opportunity to address this issue with continued investments in transport networks.”
London also accounts for the top five worst corridors in the UK, where drivers on the A404/A501 spent 44 hours in 2019 at peak hours in congestion.
Outside the capital, commuters in Birmingham and Bournemouth on the A38 and A338 experienced yearly delays of 32 hours.
Furthermore, Edinburgh and London recorded the slowest last-mile speeds of 10mph (16km/h).
At global level, London was the only UK city in the top 10 most congested cities worldwide, ranking eighth overall.
The 2019 Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard identified, analysed and ranked congestion and mobility trends in more than 900 cities, across 43 countries.
Bogota topped the list of the cities most impacted by traffic congestion with drivers losing 191 hours a year to congestion, followed by Rio de Janeiro (190 hours), Mexico City (158 hours) and Istanbul (150 hours).
According to Inrix, Latin American and European cities again dominated the top 10, “highlighting the rapid urbanisation occurring in Latin America and historic European cities that took shape long before the age of automobile”.
Want to learn more about the latest congestion reduction concepts and technologies? CiTTi Exhibition 2020 takes place on the 3rd and 4th of June at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. Register your interest to attend at www.cittiexhibition.co.uk
