UK city centres have started to return to 2019 levels of congestion after lockdowns eased over the course of the year.

On average, UK drivers lost a total of 73 hours due to traffic in 2021, up from 37 hours last year but down from 115 in 2019 pre-Covid

New data from Inrix reveals the full impact of the pandemic recovery on UK roads and shows that, on average, UK drivers lost a total of 73 hours due to traffic in 2021, up from 37 hours last year but down from 115 in 2019 pre-Covid.

Nationally, Brits have spent nearly one billion hours (980 million) sat in traffic in 2021, costing £595 per driver and the country £8bn.

The Inrix stats also reveal that drivers in London, Cambridge and Bristol lost the most time to traffic congestion (148, 75 and 66 hours respectively), despite seeing large reductions compared with 2019 (down 53%, 42% and 64% respectively). Exeter saw the largest increase in congestion, with delays increasing by 27% from 2019.

In fact, London is now the most congested city in the world, followed by Paris, Brussels, Moscow and New York City, according to the 2021 Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard.

However, while UK city centre trips have increased as restrictions eased, numbers are still lower than 2019. London experienced a 13% drop in travel to the city in 2021, as remote and hybrid work continued. Bristol saw the largest drop in drivers to the city centre, with trips down 28%. In fact, only Cambridge saw traffic levels remain the same or higher in the UK’s top 10.

To access the full Inrix 2021 Global Traffic Scorecard report, including rankings for the UK, US and Germany, click here.