London’s roads are the most congested in Europe, with drivers spending around 101 hours in traffic last year, according to a new report.
The total cost to London was estimated at £3.85bn – an average of £942 per driver.
Paris had the second most congested roads in Europe in 2024 with 97 hours of delays per driver, followed by Dublin with 81 hours, according to the report by transport analysis company Inrix.
London was also ranked fifth in the world for the most jammed roads, with Istanbul taking the top spot.
In the UK, Bristol was the second worst city for traffic, with 65 hours of delays per driver, ahead of Leeds in third spot at 60 hours. Manchester was in fourth position.
Across the UK, the average driver spent 62 hours in congestion last year, an increase of one hour from 2023.
Bob Pishue, Inrix transportation analyst and the report’s author, said: “While the UK did see a slight increase in congestion again this year, overall congestion has remained steady.
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“Roadworks in key corridors such as M25 Wisely interchange caused considerable traffic on a main artery into the capital.”
“Interestingly it was cities outside of the capital that saw the greatest increase in congestion with Manchester seeing a large increase, up 13%,” he added.
“While London only had a modest increase in time lost, it still represented half of the entire country’s delay.”
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Inrix said London contained most of the worst corridors for traffic delays in the UK because of the “concentration of population, employment and economic activity”.
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A spokesperson for Transport for London, which is responsible for a network of red route roads carrying a third of the capital’s traffic, said: “We are committed to making sure Londoners can move around the capital as safely, sustainably and efficiently as possible.
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“We support the movement of everyone across London and our investment in walking, cycling and public transport is making it easier to choose sustainable ways of travelling, helping to cut congestion.
“Our network includes some of the busiest roads in the country and we continue to invest in world-leading programmes to make sure roads are used as efficiently as possible.”
