Bristol's roads are second only to those in London for traffic congestion in the United Kingdom, according to a new report. While London’s roads remain the most congested in the world as life returns to normal following the pandemic, figures show that Bristol has the second worst figures in the UK for congestion.
Drivers in the capital spent an average of 156 hours sitting in traffic in 2022, according to the report by traffic information supplier Inrix, while Bristol was next with 91 hours, followed by Manchester (84 hours), Birmingham (73 hours) and Belfast (72 hours).
It is the second year in a row that London has topped the global congestion ranking, which covers more than 1,000 cities across 50 countries. The length of time lost to jams in the city is 5% above pre-coronavirus levels.
London was ranked the world’s eighth most congested city in 2019. Bob Pishue, transportation analyst and author of the report, said: “It is great to see civic and commercial life returning to normal, but unfortunately we’re seeing congestion inching closer to, if not exceeding, pre-pandemic levels.
“We must manage congestion while improving mobility and accessibility in cities to avoid it hurting economic recovery and impacting the quality of life of commuters and residents.”
Chicago in the US was found to be the world’s second most congested city , with drivers spending an average of 155 hours stuck in traffic. That was followed by the French capital Paris (138 hours) and the US city of Boston (134 hours).
The UK’s five most congested road corridors were all found in London. The most severe was the A219 southbound from Fulham to Morden – a major route out of the capital – on which drivers lost an average of 47 hours last year.
This was partly due to delays caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles.
READ NEXT:
- Massive Silverthorne Lane development of homes and school given green light
- Govt finally gives missing £95m to kickstart Temple Quarter regeneration
- Chinese food wholesaler behind Temple Meads could become hundreds of student flats
- Temple Island revamp deal finalised for 550 homes, hotel and offices
- Deliveroo opens its first Bristol delivery store in partnership with Morrisons
For stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
