Traffic nightmares: 1360 cities and 38 countries analyzed

Of the 784 European cities analyzed, Moscow topped the list as the most congested in Europe for the second year in a row, where drivers spent 91 hours last year in traffic congestion at peak hours. At the global city level, Los Angeles topped the list of the world’s most gridlock cities, with drivers spending on average 102 peak hours in congestion, followed by Moscow (91 hours), New York (91 hours), Sao Paulo (86 hours) and San Francisco (83 hours). London ranked 7^th out of the 1,360 cities analysed, after Bogota at 6^th where drivers spent 75 peak hours in congestion last year.

INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard analyzed and ranked the impact of traffic congestion in 1,360 cities – 296 more than last year – across 38 countries worldwide; the largest ever study of its kind.

– The UK ranked in the top ten most congested countries in the world, the third most congested in Europe behind Russia and Turkey

 

Table 1: INRIX 2017 Traffic Scorecard – UK’s 10 Most Congested Major Cities / Large Urban Areas

INRIX 2017 Traffic Scorecard Provides In-Depth City Congestion Analysis

Collected from 300 million connected cars and devices, data included in the 2017 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard reveals congestion at different times of the day and across different parts of the road network. For example, the report shows traffic in city centres compared to vehicles coming in and out of a city, as well as the differences in congestion experienced across peak and off-peak hours, and at weekends. Insights for the UK include:

Peak Congestion Insights

• London was the worst city for congestion in the UK in peak hours, with drivers spending an average of 13% of their total drive time in congestion.
• Manchester was the second worst city for time spent in congestion during peak hours, with drivers spending 39 peak hours in gridlock and an average of 10% of their total drive time stuck in traffic.

City Centre Insights

• Peak hours in Central London were the worst time and place for drivers in the capital, where they spent an average of 23% of their time in congestion at an average speed of just under 5 mph.
• Of all the major UK city centres, London was the busiest to get around during peak hours.
• Speeds fell by 81% (20 mph to 3.9 mph) in the centre of London during daytime hours when congestion was at its worst, and by 83% (22 mph to 3.7 mph) in the evening during the worst periods.

Driving in to and out of City Insights

• Travelling into and out of London at peak hours, drivers spent 16% of their time in congestion with an average speed of 12.8 mph.
• Manchester joins London as the hardest city to get into or out of during peak hours, with drivers also stuck in gridlock for 16% of the time.

Business Impact

• Businesses suffered the most from traffic in London with daytime congestion within the city occurring 17% of the time on average.
• Businesses in the city centres of Luton and Edinburgh also suffered from congestion, with drivers sitting in traffic 12% of the time during the day.

Weekend Insights

• London had the highest weekend congestion rates of 13% of drive time, but drivers cruised at their slowest (5.1 mph) in Liverpool.

Britain’s Most Congested Roads

As part of the 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard, INRIX identified the UK’s most congested roads as well as the worst time to travel. London roads were busiest during the evening rush-hour, with the A406 from Chiswick Roundabout to Hanger Lane identified as the UK’s most congested road. Motorists there spent a total of 56 hours in congestion in 2017. Outside of the capital, the A34 from Robin Hood Lanein Birmingham was the most congested road – the 4^th worst congested in the UK – with drivers each spending 44 hours in gridlock last year.

Table 2: INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard – London’s Top 5 Most Congested Roads in 2017

Table 3: INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard –Top 10 UK Most Congested Roads outside of London in 2017

UK vs. Europe: How do we Measure Up?

Of the 784 European cities analysed, Moscow topped the list as the most congested in Europe for the second year in a row, where drivers spent 91 hours last year in traffic congestion at peak hours. Drivers in Moscow spent over 26% of their total drive time (peak and non-peak hours) in congestion. London (74 hours) is second on the list of Europe’s most congested major cities, followed by Paris (69 hours), Istanbul (59 hours) with Krasnodar (57 hours) rounding out the top five.

Table 4: INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard – 10 Most Congested Major Cities in Europe in 2017

How the UK Compares to Cities & Countries Worldwide

At the global city level, Los Angeles topped the list of the world’s most gridlock cities, with drivers spending on average 102 peak hours in congestion in 2017, followed by Moscow (91 hours), New York (91 hours), Sao Paulo (86 hours) and San Francisco (83 hours). London ranked 7^th out of the 1,360 cities analysed, after Bogota at 6^th where drivers spent 75 peak hours in congestion last year.

2017 Rank (2016 Rank)	Global City	Country	Continent	2017 Peak Hours Spent in Congestion	Percentage of Total Drive Time in Congestion (peak and non- peak hours)
1 (1)	Los Angeles	USA	North America	102	12.2%
2 (2)	Moscow	Russia	Europe	91	25.8%
2 (3)	New York	USA	North America	91	12.5%
4 (5)	Sao Paulo	Brazil	South America	86	21.9%
5 (4)	San Francisco	USA	North America	79	12.0%
6 (6)	Bogota	Colombia	South America	75	30.4%
7 (7)	London	UK	Europe	74	13.1%
8 (8)	Atlanta	USA	North America	70	10.0%
9 (9)	Paris	France	Europe	79	12.9%
10 (11)	Bangkok	Thailand	Asia	64	23%

 

Of the 38 countries covered by the INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard, Thailandlead with the highest average hours spent in peak congestion (56 in 2017), outranking Indonesia (51 hours) and Columbia (49 hours), followed by Venezuela (42) and joint 5^th was USA and Russia on 42 hours. The UK was 10^th in the global ranking, 3^rdamongst developed nations, and the 3^rd most congested in Europe behind Russiaand Turkey.

Table 6: INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard – 10 Most Congested Countries in the World in 2017

017 Rank (2016 Rank)	Country	Continent (Europe Ranking)	2017 Peak Hours Spent in Congestion
1 (1)	Thailand	Asia	56
2 (2)	Indonesia	Asia	51
3 (2)	Colombia	South America	49
4 (6)	Venezuela	South America	42
5 (4)	Russia	Europe (1)	41
5 (5)	USA	North America	41
7 (8)	Brazil	South America	36
8 (7)	South Africa	Africa	36
9 (10)	Turkey	Europe (2)	32
10 (11)	UK	Europe (3)	31

 

Good data is the first step in tackling congestion. Applying big data to create intelligent transportation systems will be key to solving urban mobility problems. INRIX data and analytics on traffic, parking and population movement help city planners and engineers make data-based decisions to prioritize spending in order to maximize benefits and reduce costs now and for the future.

The key findings of the INRIX 2017 Traffic Scorecard provide a quantifiable benchmark for governments and cities across the world to measure progress to improve urban mobility and track the impact of spending on smart city initiatives.

Please visit www.inrix.com/scorecard for:

• Full INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard report including all rankings for the UK, Europe and globally.
• Complete methodology.
• Interactive webpage with data and information for all 1,360 cities and 38 countries.
• UK and global infographics.