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

  • New Central Ring Road around Moscow to be built by 2018
    September 30, 2013
    Eugene Gerden evaluates Moscow’s new ring road mega project The Russian government plans to complete implementation of one of the most ambitious projects in the country’s road building industry in recent years, which involves construction of The Central Ring Road around Moscow by 2018. The new road should be built by the next presidential elections, while its length will be 339km. It is expected to be comprised of five sections and will be located 50km away from Moscow Ring Road, a ring road encircling the
  • Auction success in Europe
    February 29, 2012
    Euro Auctions claims its latest sale in Germany has been a major success.
  • Storage Facility
    May 22, 2018
    Many UK drivers use their vehicles to store highly unlikely items according to a study. Amongst the more peculiar items kept in cars by their owners are mannequins, a bale of hay, 52 pies, a Ouija board, a false leg, 160 hats, 24 rolling pins, a wicker reindeer, two single mattresses, a hamster cage, parts of a railway engine and a urine container. The study also found that 25% of drivers are ashamed of how dirty their vehicles are with a further 5% admitting to never cleaning their vehicles. The study was
  • Work begins on Stockholm’s new bypass
    August 22, 2016
    The first tunnels are being excavated for the huge bypass tunnel in Sweden’s capital Stockholm – Adrian Greeman writes. After years of preparation and design, blasting and rock moving for Sweden's largest infrastructure project began south of the city this year. It sets in train a decade-long project that will create a new half-ring dual three-lane motorway for the city, 20km long. With most of it deep underground, it will also be one of Europe's largest ever road tunnels. The scheme is aimed at transformin