Traffic Delays Up in Almost Two Thirds of UK Cities, London Tops Global Congestion Ranking

- INRIX Traffic Scorecard reveals strong economic growth and record population levels result in London becoming the first city to surpass 100 hours wasted per driver in gridlock

- UK drivers spent 30 hours on average in congestion in 2015; UK moves down to sixth in the list of Europe's most congested countries, despite traffic being up in 61% of cities

- Outside of the capital, Belfast saw the UK's biggest increase in congestion, with drivers spending almost an hour extra on the road in 2015

- A 10-mile stretch of the A217 in London was the UK's most congested road for the second year running, costing drivers 110 hours, or 4.5 days, of wasted time in 2015

LONDON, March 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- INRIX, a global leader for connected car technology and transportation analytics, has published its 2015 Traffic Scorecard, a benchmark for governments and cities in Europe and the U.S. to measure progress in improving urban mobility.

The report analysed traffic congestion in more than 100 cities worldwide. London topped the list, with drivers wasting an average of 101 hours, or more than four days, in gridlock in 2015. Across the UK, drivers spent 30 hours on average in delays last year, consistent with 2014, but the UK dropped to sixth in the European ranking as a result of Switzerland seeing a rise in traffic levels. Belgium remains Europe's most gridlocked country, with drivers stuck in traffic for 44 hours on average.

Congestion was up slightly in 11 of the 18 UK metropolitan areas in 2015, compared to 14 in 2014. The biggest increase outside of London was in Belfast, where drivers sat idle for 38 hours, impacted by roadworks on the M2 as a result of a road improvement scheme¹. Birmingham experienced the biggest decline in traffic delays, with a decrease of 2.5 hours annually, which could be attributed to the completion of roadworks on the M6 and redevelopment projects in the city centre.

The UK economy continues to grow, increasing by 2.2% in 2015². Unemployment fell to 5.1%³, its lowest level in nearly ten years. The UK population is expected to have hit 65 million in 2015⁴, an annual increase of up to 500,000⁵. These factors continue to have an adverse impact on traffic levels, with an increasing number of roadwork, building and construction projects nationwide, more commercial and private vehicles on the road and more people commuting to work by car.

Urbanisation is a key driver of congestion, and London's population topped 8.6 million⁶ last year, the highest since its 1939 peak, increasing by more than 100,000⁷. This contributed to drivers in the capital spending a record 101 hours on average stuck in traffic, the first time a city has surpassed 100 hours wasted in gridlock in a year. As a result, London tops INRIX's congestion ranking of major cities worldwide and remains Europe's gridlock capital for the second year running.

"London is the victim of its own success, with a robust jobs market and a growing economy attracting more people, more construction and consequently more traffic," said Bryan Mistele, President & CEO, INRIX. "Transport for London is tackling this problem with its £4 billion Road Modernisation Plan. Whilst in the short term the roadworks from this initiative are frustrating for drivers, they are a step towards creating a more sustainable and modernised transport network."

UK's ten most congested metropolitan areas in 2015 (ranked by annual hours wasted):

Britain's Most Congested Roads

INRIX also identified the worst congested roads in the UK, as well as the worst times to travel. London roads were the busiest during the mid-week rush-hour with the A217 experiencing the most congestion in the country, delaying motorists by 110 hours – 26 hours more than the next worst road, the A215 from Camberwell to Croydon. Outside of the capital, a five-mile stretch of the A8 in Edinburgh was the most congested road with drivers spending an average of 43 hours in gridlock.

The UK's most congested roads in 2015 (ranked by annual hours wasted):

The UK's most congested roads outside London in 2015 (ranked by annual hours wasted):

UK vs. Europe: How do we Measure Up?

Of the 13 European countries analysed, 70% experienced a decrease in congestion in 2015. This can be attributed to a sluggish Europe-wide economy, with an average quarterly GDP growth rate of 0.3% in the second half of last year⁸, which remains below the pre-crisis peak of 2008. Belgium topped the list with drivers spending 44 hours in traffic congestion, followed by the Netherlands (39 hours) and Germany (38). Despite traffic being up in 61% of cities, the UK moved down to sixth.

Countries in Europe with the highest levels of congestion (ranked by annual hours wasted):

The Traffic Situation in Europe's Cities

Although London topped the list of Europe's most gridlocked cities, Stuttgart experienced the highest increase, reaching 73 average hours wasted in 2015, an increase of 14% from 2014. This propelled Stuttgart from fifth to second in the ranking, which can be attributed to low fuel prices⁹, a record number of new registered vehicles¹⁰ and more people commuting to work by car. Cologne, which took the title of Germany's most congested city last year, slips to fourth, and Antwerp moves up to third. Both Cologne (5.2 hours) and Antwerp (6.6) experienced significant increases in delays.

Brussels – Europe's most congested city in 2012 and 2013 and second to London in 2014 – experienced a significant drop in delays in 2015, achieving 70 hours wasted in traffic, a decline of more than four hours from 2014 and moving the city to fifth in the ranking. Brussels recently made investments to strengthen key suburban rail services in and around the city to help ease gridlock¹¹.

Europe's most congested metropolitan areas in 2015 (ranked by annual hours wasted):

How Europe Compares to Cities Worldwide

At the global city level, London tops the list of gridlock-plagued cities, with 101 hours of delay, followed by Los Angeles (81 hours), Washington D.C. (75), San Francisco (75), Houston (74), New York (73), Stuttgart (73), Antwerp (71), Cologne (71) and Brussels (70). Drivers using the top 10 worst roads globally waste on average 110 hours a year, or more than 4.5 days, in gridlock. Of these, four are in Los Angeles, three in Moscow, followed by roads in London, Brussels and Munich.

Of the countries measured by the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, the U.S. leads with the highest annual hours wasted in traffic – an average of nearly 50 hours in 2015 – outranking Belgium (44 hours), Netherlands (39), Germany (38), Luxembourg (33), Switzerland (30), UK (30) and France (28).

Methodology

Findings in the INRIX Traffic Scorecard for Europe are drawn from traffic speed data collected from more than a million miles of urban streets and highways in 13 European countries and 96 cities, between January and December 2015. To view the global report, please visit inrix.com/scorecard.

About INRIX

INRIX is the global leader in connected car services and intelligent movement, a new approach that leverages big data and the cloud to help improve urban mobility. By aggregating a variety of sources and applying intelligence, INRIX delivers comprehensive data and solutions to help move people, cities and businesses forward.

Our partners are automakers, governments, mobile operators, developers, advertisers, as well as enterprises large and small. We are literally everywhere with over 450 customers across 60 countries. INRIX has offices in Kirkland, Seattle, Santa Monica, London, Manchester and Munich.

¹ http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/m2-drivers-face-delays-in-400000-roadworks-31408138.html 
² http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/gdp-growth 
³ http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/unemployment-rate 
⁴ http://www.cityam.com/221125/population-growth-uk-become-biggest-country-european-union-2050 
⁵ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33266792 
⁶ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31082941 
⁷ http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-northern-ireland/mid-2014/sty---overview-of-the-uk-population.html 
⁸ http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/02/taking-europe-s-pulse 
⁹ http://www.bild.de/geld/wirtschaft/oelpreis/halb-europa-tankt-teurer-als-wir-44217182.bild.html 
¹⁰ http://www.kfz-innung-stuttgart.de/presse/pkw-zulassungen-region-stuttgart/ 
¹¹ Suburban train service strengthened in and around Brussels

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