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

  • UK's roads deteriorate?
    March 2, 2012
    The latest data available from the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) shows a worrying decrease in road quality across the country.
  • Houston, Texas is seeing fast expansion of population, with in vast increases in traffic
    October 9, 2018
    The US city of Houston is expanding fast and its transport system is having to be developed to cope
  • São Paulo State Highway Authority wins the Evonik Road Safety Award 2018
    April 23, 2019
    For more than 50 years, Evonik – a world leader in specialty chemicals and the inventor of MMA cold plastic road markings - has been at the forefront of efforts to improve road safety and disseminate best practices in the field On 18th December 2018, Evonik bestowed the 3rd edition of the “Evonik Road Safety Award” in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The Road Safety Award is designed to support sustainable road safety initiatives, as part of the company’s corporate and social responsibility. It acknowle
  • Road and tunnel project eases Stockholm congestion
    February 23, 2012
    Part of the E20 European highway, the Norra länken aims to make a valuable contribution to easing congestion in central Stockholm. The construction of Norra länken is one of the biggest and most important road and tunnel projects being undertaken in Sweden, certainly in terms of scope and budget. It will be a link in the peripheral route around the Stockholm inner city area and be part of the E20 European Highway.