It’s the plight of every single driver in the UK, and according to recent reports traffic is only going to get worse over the next few years. The report, created by the traffic information specialist Inrix, reveals that each driver in the UK now spends an average of thirty hours a year waiting in traffic, while those commuting to London spend a whopping eighty two hours. So what does this mean for motorists in the future? First Insurance investigates:
Traffic by Area
Inrix’s report not only looks at the fact that the amount of time drivers are spending in traffic is increasing, but also how the amount of time each driver can expect to wait in traffic each year depends on the area they commute in. London is naturally top of the league with eighty two hours per year, while in Greater Manchester drivers are waiting for forty six hours, and in Merseyside they spend an average of thirty nine hours sitting in gridlocks. Some of the roads in and around London are now known as the UK’s biggest traffic hot spots, including the A4 between Central London and junction 3 of the M4 near Heathrow which accumulates ninety one hours of gridlock per year. However, compared to other European countries the UK isn’t so bad, as in Belgium drivers waste an average of fifty eight hours per year sitting in traffic.
2012 vs. 2013
One of the most shocking pieces of information in Inrix’s report is the fact that traffic was actually worse in 2013 compared to 2012, meaning that people are already concerned what 2014 will hold. In 2012 the average amount of time a person would spend in traffic per year in the London commuter zone was only seventy two hours – fourteen hours less than in 2013. Those in Greater Manchester and Merseyside both spent an extra two hours in traffic in 2013 compared to 2012 – in fact, there were very few areas throughout the country where traffic got better instead of worse. Not only does this mean that commuting times are steadily increasing across the UK but that the amount of emissions is also on the rise despite government schemes such as the congestion charge.
Problems in the Future
Discussing their findings, President of Inrix, Bryan Mistele, said: “So goes traffic, so goes the economy. While bad news for drivers, the increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy.” Meanwhile, director of the RAC Foundation, 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 population is predicted to grow by around ten million in the next couple of decades. That’s four million more drivers. 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 per cent by 2040.”
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