Skip to main content

Car traffic in London is down but congestion is up, says new study

London Congestion Trends, an in-depth study of the causes of traffic congestion in London between 2012 and 2015 published by Inrix, indicates that congestion in London is increasing, with journey times in Central London growing by 12 per cent annually. Inrix says this is consistent with data that shows that the London economy and population are growing, which normally results in an increase in gridlock. Further, unemployment and fuel prices are down, both of which usually mean a rise in traffic. Despite thi
May 18, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
London Congestion Trends, an in-depth study of the causes of traffic congestion in London between 2012 and 2015 published by 163 Inrix, indicates that congestion in London is increasing, with journey times in Central London growing by 12 per cent annually. Inrix says this is consistent with data that shows that the London economy and population are growing, which normally results in an increase in gridlock. Further, unemployment and fuel prices are down, both of which usually mean a rise in traffic. Despite this, car travel, defined as private cars, taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs), has decreased in the Congestion Charge Zone and Central London since 2012 and overall demand for road travel has remained flat.

The analysis also found that there is a much greater reliance on public transport and other modes, to meet the demand for travel fuelled by London’s strong economic growth and record population levels. Of note, London Underground saw passenger numbers increase by 3.2 per cent from 2014 to 2015 – surpassing the levels seen during the 2012 Olympic Games, while cycling has also seen a dramatic upturn, with 12 per cent more people commuting to work and travelling by bike in the past year alone.  

The report says this may explain flat traffic volumes in London, but it does not explain increasing congestion. Road supply is restricted by planned and unplanned incidents and between 2012 and 2015, the duration of planned roadworks in London rose by 362 per cent, resulting in 2,437 hours of disruption, one of the primary causes of increased congestion in the capital. The number of hours roads were disrupted by unplanned incidents, such as accidents, also increased, rising by 23 per cent over the same period.

Another cause of increased gridlock in London is likely a result of the booming ecommerce market, which is expected to top US$87 billion (£60 billion) in the UK in 2016. This may have spurred a sharp increase in the number of delivery vans on London’s roads. For example, the study found that the volume of light goods vehicles (LGVs) in the Congestion Charge Zone, which account for more than 17 per cent of all vehicles, is increasing year-on-year, and increased by 7.7 per cent over the study period.

“It is easy to speculate on the causes of congestion in London, but solving this problem requires a deeper understanding and awareness of the true factors,” said Dominic Jordan, chief data scientist, Inrix. “Through road improvements, 1466 Transport for London is making significant efforts to future-proof the city, which will benefit both road users and the London economy. However, our study shows that roadworks like these, as well as a rise in goods vehicles, are the major causes of congestion in the capital.”

David Leam, Infrastructure director at non-profit organisation London First, commented: “London’s roads are increasingly congested, but this isn't down to a boom in car journeys. As this report shows, car traffic is actually decreasing in central London, while van traffic and roadworks have risen significantly. What's needed is for the new Mayor to ease off excessive roadworks, build new river crossings, devise a plan for managing freight, and revisit measures to control congestion, including charging.”

Related Content

  • March 15, 2016
    London tops global congestion ranking, says report
    The Inrix Traffic Scorecard 2015, which measures progress in improving urban mobility, reveals strong economic growth and record population levels resulting in London becoming the first city to surpass 100 hours wasted per driver in gridlock. The report analysed traffic congestion in more than 100 cities worldwide. London topped the list, with drivers wasting an average of 101 hours, or more than four days, in gridlock in 2015. Across the UK, drivers spent 30 hours on average in delays last year, consist
  • July 8, 2019
    London needs just one road user charge, says report
    London’s patchwork of road charging schemes should be replaced by a single, distance-based user charge, according to new research. Apart from anything else, it would be much fairer… The UK capital’s multiple road charging schemes require a radical overhaul, according to a new report by the Centre for London thinktank. The suggested solution is to replace existing levies on drivers with a single, distance-based user charge which would more fairly reflect how much, and at what time, people are using London
  • March 4, 2014
    Traffic congestion rise in Europe a ‘sign of economic recovery’
    A new report from leading traffic information and driver services provider Inrix shows traffic congestion in Europe rose in 2013 for the first time in two years. According to the 2013 annual Inrix Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion across Europe increased approximately six per cent in the last three quarters of the year. The amount of time British drivers spent in traffic throughout the year has risen slightly, from 29 hours in 2012 to 30 hours in 2013. This puts the UK in sixth place in Europe, behi
  • August 12, 2016
    Government traffic statistics ‘highlight a growing issue in the UK’
    The UK Department for Transport has issued its provisional estimates of road traffic in Great Britain for the year ending June 2016 by vehicle type and road class. These show that motor vehicle traffic was at a record high with 319.3 billion vehicle miles travelled, at 1.5 per cent higher than the previous year and 1.6 per cent higher than September 2007). Rolling annual motor vehicle traffic has now increased each quarter in succession for three years. Compared to the previous year, all road class