Traffic congestion in UK some of the worst in Europe

Traffic congestion in UK some of the worst in Europe

The UK is in the top five European countries for road congestion, figures released by Inrix show, but they also show that our roads are slowly getting clearer.

The UK came fifth in a list of European countries with the least clear roads, stuck behind Holland, France, Germany and Belgium. Motorists here were stuck in traffic jams for an average of 29 hours in 2012, however this figure is less than in previous years.

Overall, the average figure for being stuck in jams was down by 19% over 2011, and this trend was also seen across Europe.

London was of course the worst place for traffic congestion in the UK, with 72 hours being the average time spent in traffic jams over 2012. That equals three entire days of stopping and starting, exhaust fumes and infuriating fellow drivers. However, this figure was down 9% over 2011, when the average time in jams was a whopping 79 hours. Second place for worst traffic was Greater Manchester, where people were stuck for an average 45 hours over 2012. This figure was also down over 2011, by 17% this time. Other congested UK areas included South Nottinghamshire, with 32 hours average, Greater Belfast, with 31 hours, and Merseyside, with 37 hours.

Worst cities for traffic congestion in Europe were Brussels in Belgium at the top, with an average of 83 hours (almost 4 days), Antwerp, also in Belgium, second place with 77 hours on average, and our own London in third place.

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