London was the most congested city in Europe last year and the third worst globally, Inrix has found.

London ranked worst for congestion in Europe for the third year running

Its 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard identified and ranked congestion in nearly 950 cities, across 37 countries, and saw London take the top spot in Europe for the third year running, ahead of Paris.

The UK capital was also only beaten by New York City and Mexico City globally – and outranked US cities including Chicago and Los Angeles. However, it did drop from second place globally in 2022 to third place.

Drivers in London lost 99 hours sitting in congestion last year; 3% above pre-pandemic delays and 2% more than 2022. The total cost to London was £3.8bn, averaging £902 per driver.

For the UK as whole, the country lost £7.5bn, £718m more than in 2022. The average UK driver lost 61 hours due to traffic congestion last year – a 7% increase on 2022’s 57 hours lost with the capital accounting for approximately 50% of all UK traffic delay.

Bob Pishue, transportation analyst and author of the report, said: “We are seeing travel return to pre-Covid levels. The UK and Europe have seen smaller increases in congestion this year than in other parts of the world which indicates that these countries have found their new travel norms. While London remains most impacted by congestion in the UK, its drop to third suggests that other large global cities have returned to pre-Covid levels of activity. As an indication of strong economic activity, increased congestion can be a positive sign for cities.”

All urban areas in the UK top 10 saw increases in traffic congestion and delays over 2022. Drivers in London (99 hours), Birmingham (60 hours), and Bristol (62 hours) experienced the highest impact from traffic in the UK.

The urban areas of Sheffield and Rochester fell off the UK top 10 from 2022, now at 11th and 14th, respectively, while Manchester and Hertford-Harlow both moved up three spots to eighth and ninth.

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “For a driver, every hour sat in congestion is another hour of wasted time and, for most people, wasted fuel. Congestion can also lead to poor air quality. It’s incumbent for cities to find ways to tackle it and not accept it as a given. While some measures can be costly – for instance, new park and ride schemes to reduce the amount of traffic having to go into city centres – others are very cheap to implement yet can still make a difference, such as retiming traffic lights to help with traffic flow.”

Peter O’Driscoll, MD at RingGo, added: “As the number of vehicles on the road continues to grow, so too do concerns around parking. Implementing policies to help ensure that parking spaces are used efficiently – and thereby optimising the parking experience – could help to alleviate some of the congestion in the capital and make our cities more liveable. For example, putting a time cap on parking in certain areas can be really effective. It helps to ensure that parking spaces are available for an increased number of motorists throughout the day. It also helps to reduce congestion and wait times by encouraging drivers to move their vehicles after a certain amount of time.”

The full Inrix 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard is here.