Skip to main content

London wins prize that no-one wants

UK capital is most congested city in world - again! - says Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard
By Adam Hill January 11, 2023 Read time: 2 mins
Oh, and it was probably raining too (© Cindy21c | Dreamstime.com)

For the second year in a row, London has topped the Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard as the most congested city in the world.

No cause for celebration, it means the average London driver lost 156 hours of his or her life sitting in traffic in 2022.

But London only just pipped the US city of Chicago - a very, very close second with drivers drumming their fingers on the steering wheel and honking their horns in frustration for 155 hours.

In third place is - quelle horreur! - Paris, the City of Light, whose radical reimagining of its streets to favour pedestrians, cyclists and micromobility has not made it immune from the frustrations of l'embouteillage.

Parisien drivers lost 138 hours - and probably some of their sanity at times - in queues.

Inrix says that traffic delays exceeded pre-Covid levels in 39% of urban areas in the US (116 out of 295), and 42% in Europe (249 out of 593).

In the UK, traffic delays increased 72% in urban areas (79 out of 110), while in Germany, 51% of urban areas saw more delay than in 2019 (37 out of 72).

The typical US driver lost 51 hours due to congestion in 2022, a 15-hour increase over 2021. In the UK, a driver lost 80 hours (up seven hours) while in Germany there was no change, at 40 hours.

In financial terms, this equates to losses for drivers of $81 billion in 2022 in the US, with UK drivers out of pocket to the tune of nearly £9.5 billion and German drivers losing  €3.9 billion.

Telecommuting has appeared to ease with the onset of hybrid work, yet still exceeds pre-Covid levels.

In the UK, hybrid work increased from 13% to 24%, while working solely from home dropped from 22% to 14%.

Trips to downtowns and city centres generally increased over 2021, although they decreased in London.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Adaptive control reduces travel time, cuts congestion
    January 20, 2012
    Situated in San Diego County, California, the growing city of San Marcos has seen its population increase by 53.5 per cent since the turn of the century. Although this dramatic population increase has spurred economic growth bringing new business, homes and opportunities to the city, it has also increased traffic congestion along its central corridor, San Marcos Boulevard. This became the most congested arterial in the city, and, by 2006, the second-most travelled corridor in San Diego County.
  • Coronavirus cripples scooter operations worldwide
    March 24, 2020
    The ongoing battle against coronavirus is causing micromobility firms to scale down and suspend operations worldwide. 
  • Transurban lights up tunnel to help drivers pace themselves
    March 31, 2023
    Steep exit from Burnley Tunnel creates congestion for Melbourne's wider road network
  • Reducing incident clear up times, saving money
    January 24, 2012
    In 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, it took over four hours to open the road after a major commercial vehicle incident. Not any more. Four years ago the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) cited Atlanta, Georgia as the third-most congested city in the United States. Each traveller in metro Atlanta lost an incredible 57 hours a year to traffic delays, wasting 40 gallons of fuel while sitting in traffic. In 2007, it took nearly four and a half hours to open travel lanes after an average tractor-trailer incident. Th