London is world’s most congested city – report
A report has found that London’s roads remain the most congested in the world, with more time being lost to traffic jams than before the pandemic.
Research shows drivers in London spent an average of 156 hours waiting in traffic in 2022.
The report, by traffic information supplier Inrix, found that for the second year in a row, the city topped their global congestion ranking.
The research went on to find the UK’s five most congested roads were all in London.
The report covers 1,000 cities across 50 countries and found the time lost to traffic jams in London last year had risen 5% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
A219 southbound from Fulham to Morden was found to be the most severely congested corridor – drivers lost an average of 47 hours last year.
It was in part due to delays caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles, researchers said.
The research shows Bristol had the UK’s second-worst road congestion, then Manchester, Birmingham and Belfast.
Globally, Chicago in the USA was found to be the World’s second most congested city last year, followed by Paris and Boston.
The report’s author Bob Pishue 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.”
