Skip to main content

UK’s roads most congested in Europe

The results of a European traffic study should surprise few UK drivers. According to the research by Inrix, the UK has Europe’s most congested roads. The study evaluated traffic densities in 123 major cities across Europe and revealed 20,375 areas in the UK where traffic congestion is a problem. By comparison Germany had less than half as many areas where traffic is a problem. This is in spite of the fact that Germany has a significantly higher population than the UK. According to the study, a spot where
November 30, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The results of a European traffic study should surprise few UK drivers. According to the research by 5367 Inrix, the UK has Europe’s most congested roads. The study evaluated traffic densities in 123 major cities across Europe and revealed 20,375 areas in the UK where traffic congestion is a problem. By comparison Germany had less than half as many areas where traffic is a problem. This is in spite of the fact that Germany has a significantly higher population than the UK.

According to the study, a spot where traffic congestion is an issue is a section of road for which a driver has to reduce speed by 65% for a minimum of two minutes. The data used in the research was collated using information from on-board GPS systems and cellphones during September 2016. The study evaluated traffic in cities with populations of 250,000 or more. In the UK, 21 cities of the required size had 20,375 areas of congestion, compared with 8,517 congestion spots in 27 German cities, 5,069 spots in 12 Italian cities, 1,844 spots in nine French cities and 2,335 spots in 16 Spanish cities.

The most congested section of road in Europe is Hamburg’s A7 Autobahn. In the UK, the M25 around London and the A720 Edinburgh bypass suffer the most frequent delays. The M25 in particular carries 250,000 vehicles/day, with the section between Junctions 15 and 16 having the most frequent hold ups for drivers.

The UK Government is planning to spend £1.3 billion on improving the road network, with £220 million being targeted at cutting congestion on sections known to suffer delays.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • BAM wins motorway deals in The Hague and Munich
    December 7, 2015
    The Dutch city of The Hague has awarded a BAM joint venture with a €300 million design, construction and maintenance contract for a 4km city road. The new connecting road will run between the motorway at the Ypenburg interchange, A4 and A13, and The Hague’s Central Zone of Binckhorst-Centrum-Scheveningen. Construction will start in mid-2016 and the road is expected to be open by early 2020. The Rotterdamsebaan will make The Hague and its immediate region better accessible by connecting the A4 /A13
  • Road pricing revenue a source of investment funds
    February 16, 2012
    When channelled back into the road sector, revenue from road charging is seen by many as a source of additional investment and research funds as Patrick Smith reports. Late in 2010, three major European organisations put out a policy statement calling for fair charging for greener, smarter and safer road infrastructure. ASECAP (the European toll road operators organisation); ERF (European Road Federation) and the IRU (International Road Transport Union), said that in recent years the concept of road chargin
  • Ile-de-France regions sets out highway spending until 2020
    February 6, 2015
    The Isle de France region, essentially the Paris area and extensive surrounding countryside, will spend around €365 million on road infrastructure as part of a five-year transportation plan from this year up to 2020. The overall plan calls for an investment of of €7.3 billion, of which €2.9 billion will come from the central government and €4.4 billion from the Isle de France region. Around EUR €4.5 billion will be used to finance public transport, according to a report by Le Moniteur des Travaux Publics
  • Italy's new southern highway route
    May 13, 2021
    An important new highway route is currently under construction in South Italy