The new report from traffic information and driver services provider INRIX shows traffic congestion in Europe rose in 2013 for the first time in two years.  According to the 2013 Annual INRIX Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion across Europe increased approximately6% in the last three-quarters of the year.

In the UK, the biggest increase in traffic congestion was London (+13%) where drivers sat idle for 82 hours in traffic, 10 more hours than 2012. Based on the amount of hours wasted last year in traffic, this was followed by Greater Manchester (46 hours; +2 hours), Merseyside (39, +2), South Nottinghamshire (39; 4), Greater Birmingham (33; 1), Greater Belfast (31; 1), South Yorkshire (26; -1) , Leeds-Bradford (25; 2), Avon & North Somerset (24; 0) and Portsmouth-Fareham (24; -1).

The increases in congestion came as the UK economy grew 1.9% in 2013 – its strongest growth since 2007 – whilst unemployment fell steadily throughout the year.

‘So goes traffic, so goes the economy,’ said Bryan Mistele, president and CEO, INRIX. ‘While bad news for drivers, increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy.’