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UK named third most congested country in Europe

Traffic jams cost UK motorists more than £30bn last year as congestion increased due to stable economic conditions, low fuel prices and record high employment.

traffic

UK drivers spend an average of 32 hours a year in congestion during peak hours.

Latest figures from Inrix show the UK ranked as the fourth most congested developed country in the world and the third most congested in Europe last year, with drivers spending an average of 32 hours a year in congestion during peak hours.

A total of 87 cities and large urban areas were analysed across the UK, and the direct and indirect costs of congestion for all drivers totalled £30.8bn in 2016, an average of £968 per driver.

Unsurprisingly, London was the UK’s most congested city, costing drivers in the Capital more than twice the national average at £1,911 each in 2016, and more than £6bn across the city as a whole.

Along with the capital, Manchester, Aberdeen, Birmingham and Edinburgh make up the UK’s five most congested cities.

The UK’s most congested road was the A406 Northbound from Chiswick Roundabout to Hanger Lane in London, where each driver spent 73 hours, or three days, in congestion last year.

Graham Cookson, chief economist, Inrix, said: “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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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.