Skip to main content

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
March 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 163 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, consistent with 2014, but the UK dropped to sixth in the European ranking as a result of Switzerland seeing a rise in traffic levels. Belgium remains Europe’s most gridlocked country, with drivers stuck in traffic for 44 hours on average.

Of the 13 European countries analysed, 70 per cent experienced a decrease in congestion in 2015. This can be attributed to a sluggish Europe-wide economy, with an average quarterly GDP growth rate of 0.3 per cent in the second half of last year, which remains below the pre-crisis peak of 2008. Belgium topped the list with drivers spending 44 hours in traffic congestion, followed by the Netherlands (39 hours) and Germany (38).

Although London topped the list of Europe’s most gridlocked cities, Stuttgart experienced the highest increase, reaching 73 average hours wasted in 2015, an increase of 14 per cent from 2014. Both Cologne (5.2 hours) and Antwerp (6.6 hours) experienced significant increases in delays.

Brussels, Europe’s most congested city in 2012 and 2013, experienced a significant drop in delays in 2015, achieving 70 hours wasted in traffic, a decline of more than four hours from 2014 and moving the city to fifth in the ranking.

At the global city level, London tops the list of gridlock-plagued cities, with 101 hours of delay, followed by Los Angeles (81 hours), Washington DC (75), San Francisco (75), Houston (74), New York (73), Stuttgart (73), Antwerp (71), Cologne (71) and Brussels (70).

Of the countries measured by the Inrix Traffic Scorecard, the US leads with the highest annual hours wasted in traffic – an average of nearly 50 hours in 2015 – outranking Belgium (44 hours), Netherlands (39), Germany (38), Luxembourg (33), Switzerland (30), UK (30) and France (28).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • SFMTA launches three-year motorcycle education campaign pilot
    November 25, 2016
    The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which manages all surface transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), has launched a first of its kind Vision Zero education campaign targeting people who ride motorcycles. The campaign is funded by a US$188,267 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
  • Increase in EU alternative fuel vehicle registrations
    October 30, 2015
    Total alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) registrations in the EU in the third quarter of 2015 increased by 13.4 per cent, reaching 127,661 units. Of these, electric vehicle (EV) registrations showed a substantial increase of 62.2 per cent, rising from 17,488 units in the third quarter of 2014 to 28,360 units in the third quarter of 2015.
  • No sign of a decrease in motor fatalities says National Safety Council
    August 24, 2016
    Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council indicate that motor vehicle deaths in the US were nine per cent higher through the first six months of 2016 than in 2015, and 18 per cent higher than two years ago at the six month mark. An estimated 19,100 people have been killed on US roads since January and 2.2 million were seriously injured. The total estimated cost of these deaths and injuries is US$205 billion. The upward trend began in late 2014 and shows no signs of decreasing. Last winter, t
  • TomTom launches speed camera app for iPhone
    May 8, 2012
    TomTom in Europe has releases a speed camera app for the iPhone, Powered by European driving community with 1.6 million drivers in 15 countries, the app informs drivers of their speed, the speed limit, the type of camera ahead and the remaining distance to reach it. A colour-coded warning system quickly and effectively alerts users if they need to slow down.