UK drivers wasted an average of 30 hours stuck in traffic gridlock last year, ranking the country as the sixth worst for congestion in Europe according to a new study.

The 2013 INRIX traffic scorecard report shows that drivers in nine of the 18 UK cities experienced increased traffic compared to 2012, when the average number of hours wasted was 29 a year.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “Worse is ahead. We already have the busiest road network in Europe and it’s a title we will find difficult to shake.”

The biggest increase in traffic congestion was in London, where a 13% growth in delays last year saw drivers sat idle for 82 hours, 10 more than in 2012.

Mr Glaister added: “Even if we all find ways of cutting back our personal mileage the national total will go up. According to the Government traffic will rise 40% by 2040.”

The report found that 2013’s worst road for gridlock in the UK was the A4 between Central London and the M4, where there were 91 hours worth of delay in the year on average.

AA President Edmund King said: "It is no great surprise that London comes out as the congestion capital of the UK. Traffic speeds in central London have been at around 10MPH for around 100 years and are unlikely to change any time soon." 

Outside of London the road where drivers spent the most time gridlocked was on the M6 between junctions seven and 10.

INRIX chief executive Bryan Mistele said: “While bad news for drivers, increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy.”

Photo: Dominic Alves

To return to the newsletter, please close this window.