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

  • Set the ALARM for repairs in England and Wales
    January 10, 2019
    More than 3,900km of roads in England and Wales will need essential maintenance within the next year, according to the annual ALARM survey* Cash-strapped local governments are reporting that the gap between the funds they received and the amount they needed for repairs and maintenance was almost €639 million. This equated to an average shortfall of €3.75 million for every authority. It would take 14 years to get local roads back into a reasonable steady state, but only if adequate funds and resources wer
  • UK equipment sales up 70% in first half year
    August 9, 2021
    Supply chain shortages and price rises for many products and materials remain an issue.
  • Roads a priority in Oman’s $14.8bn infrastructure spend
    May 29, 2013
    An upcoming summit will look at opportunities offered by Oman’s infrastructure plans. Oman is planning to spend some US$14.8 billion on infrastructure in the coming years. The figure, almost half of the country’s 8th Five-Year Development Plan for 2011-2015, has been earmarked for overhauling roads, ports and airports with the objective to link the three modes of transport to improve interconnectivity. Oman’s huge infrastructure will include numerous road projects, bridge structures, tunnel constructions an
  • €2.27bn UK road investment in 2014 to support over 9,500 construction jobs
    November 11, 2013
    Over 9,500 construction jobs will be supported in 2014 by more than €2.27 billion (£1.9 billion) of investment in Britain’s roads, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill announced today. The total investment in 209 schemes is €5.15 billion (£4.3 billion), with the €2.27 billion to be spent in 2014 more than twice the amount being spent this year. Due to either start or be completed in 2014, these road programmes are estimated to boost the economy by over €22.52 billion (£18.8 billion) and are part of a €119.8