European traffic volumes moving back to fast lane

Most countries are getting back to pre-Covid levels of activity
By David Arminas July 31, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Still lots of room for more vehicles on Europe's roads (© Kloeg008 | Dreamstime.com)

Vehicle miles travelled (VMT) in the UK are running at 83% of pre-Covid levels, according to the latest pan-European figures compiled by analytics and connected car specialist Inrix.

The VMT update, called European Passenger Travel During Covid-19, covers the beginning of March to the end of June. It shows the impact of lockdown on traffic on European roads.

Throughout Europe, 16 of the 19 countries analysed have reached their respective pre-Covid levels of travel.

Belgium, Ireland and the UK are lagging behind and Spain continues its large VMT growth at an average of 19% per week for the month.

In the UK, Liverpool is the only area to surpass the national level.

This indicates much more travel is happening outside of major metropolitan areas, as people work from home and employment centre activity remains low, said the company.

Over the past four weeks, London has averaged a growth rate of 3% and Cardiff saw growth of 7%.

While this difference seems minimal, notes Inrix, it shows that the VMT in Cardiff is actually growing at a rate that is 75% faster than London.

Classification & Data Collection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Necessity is the mother of invention
    April 6, 2016
    The Netherlands aims to lead Europe, and the world, in the area of cooperative ITS and smart mobility. That’s not an aspiration – it’s a necessity as Frans op de Beek, principal advisor for traffic management and ITS within the Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment, explains.
    Read More
  • Confusing funding and financing can be costly
    September 23, 2014
    Tolling may be the way forward for paying for the roads of the future - but where will concessionaires find the money and do they need funding or financing? Increasingly, governments around the world are concluding that they can no longer pay for new roads and are turning to the private sector for help.
    Read More
  • Europe’s heavy trucks ‘no more fuel-efficient than ten years ago’
    December 4, 2015
    A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) claims that trucks in the European Union are no more fuel-efficient than they were a decade ago. The study, which analyses data from the European commercial trucking market, looking at key member states, manufacturers and fuel consumption trend, found that heavy-duty vehicles represent only four per cent of the on-road fleet in the European Union, but are responsible for 30 per cent of on-road CO2 emissions. In contrast, the study cla
    Read More
  • Road death toll increasing in poor countries, says WHO report
    February 20, 2019
    The latest figures from the World Health Organisation on road deaths make sobering reading – but they are particularly shocking when you consider how the relative poverty of countries contributes to high fatality rates, says Adam Hill Around 1.35 million people died on the world’s roads in 2016, while road traffic injuries are now the leading cause of death among young people, according to new statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Perhaps the most sobering point from its latest research
    Read More

Highlighted Content