Skip to main content

Department for Transport data shows UK traffic growth

Data from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) shows that motor vehicle traffic has increased, for the tenth quarter in succession. Motor vehicle traffic in Great Britain increased by 2.2% in the year ending September 2015 from the previous year. The provisional figure of 505.76 billion vehicle km is the highest rolling annual total ever and 0.6% higher than the pre-recessional peak in the year ending September 2007. The upward trend in traffic volumes is likely to reflect growth in the UK economy, wi
November 12, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Data from the UK’s 5432 Department for Transport (DfT) shows that motor vehicle traffic has increased, for the tenth quarter in succession. Motor vehicle traffic in Great Britain increased by 2.2% in the year ending September 2015 from the previous year. The provisional figure of 505.76 billion vehicle km is the highest rolling annual total ever and 0.6% higher than the pre-recessional peak in the year ending September 2007.

The upward trend in traffic volumes is likely to reflect growth in the UK economy, with GDP 2.6% higher in the year ending September 2015 than in the previous year. Lower fuel prices may also have contributed to increased traffic.

Compared to the previous year, in the year ending September 2015, car traffic increased by 1.7% and van traffic continued to rise faster than any other vehicle type, up 6% to a new peak of 75.04 billion vehicle km. In addition, all road classes experienced higher volumes of traffic, with traffic on rural minor roads increasing the fastest, at 5.8%. Motorway traffic increased by 2% to 105.64 billion vehicle km, the highest ever level.

Car and taxi traffic increased by 1.7% on the previous year to 396.16 billion vehicle km. This is just below the peak level of 397.28 billion vehicle km in the year ending June 2007. LGV traffic increased by 6% from the previous year to a new high of 75.04 billion vehicle km. LGV traffic has increased its share of motor vehicle traffic by 2.4% from10 years ago, from 12.4% in the year ending September 2005 to 14.8% in the year ending September 2015. HGV traffic increased on the previous year by 1.2%, but remains below the peak level in the year ending June 2008.

Traffic has increased across all road types and on motorways and rural roads was higher than it has ever been. Motorway traffic increased by 2% from the previous year, to 104.64 billion vehicle km. Traffic on urban roads increased by 1.0% on the previous year but remains 4% below the peak level of 191.424 billion vehicle km in the year ending September 2007.

On rural A roads traffic rose by 2% to 145.12 billion vehicle km, while on urban A roads traffic rose by 0.5% to 79.04 billion vehicle km. Traffic volumes also increased by 5.8% on minor rural roads, the biggest percentage increase of any road type, to 72.64 billion vehicle km. On minor urban roads traffic grew by 1.4% to 104.32 billion vehicle km.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Lack of foresight for UK roads
    April 26, 2012
    The UK's National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the Department for Transport's (DfT) budget cuts on the grounds that they will increase costs for users. A new report from the NAO suggests that the DfT has no long term strategy and that the cuts lack strategic understanding.
  • Road markings important for road safety
    February 20, 2012
    Manufacturers are constantly upgrading marking materials and equipment. Now those responsible for highways are being asked to do more as Patrick Smith reports. A recent report claimed that nearly one-third of the length of Britain's single carriageway A-roads have white lines so worn out that they do not meet recognised standards. According to the LifeLines Report, an assessment of more than 2,400km of the road network, Britain's most dangerous roads have the most worn-out centre line markings of all, leavi
  • UK: 50 Years of motorways
    July 6, 2012
    On 5 December, 2008 Britain’s motorway network celebrated its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion the Road Users’ Alliance (RUA) published ‘50 Years of Motorways,’ which claims that from a slow and modest start (over 30 years behind its European neighbours) the UK network has never managed to catch up. According to the publication, in the 1960s and early 1970s motorways were viewed as a route to renewal and prosperity. The network made some headway and grew to 2,500km; it crawled a further 1,000km ov
  • New data reveals the latest crash statistics from Italian and Swiss roads
    March 26, 2013
    Official data from Italy and Switzerland reveals changing patterns for fatal crash statistics. The information from Switzerland shows an increase in fatalities on the country’s roads during 2012. The latest set of figures reveals that 339 people lost their lives on Switzerland's roads in 2012, 19 more than in 2011. During 2012 4,202 people were seriously injured in road crashes, although this was 235 fewer than in 2011, according to the Federal office for roads (OFROU). In all 2012 saw a total of 18,148 roa