Skip to main content

Survey reveals congestion on UK roads worst for over ten years

A Freight Transport Association (FTA) survey has revealed that congestion on UK roads is at the worst it has been for over ten years. FTA’s Quarterly Transport Activity Survey (QTAS) illustrated the rate of deterioration in reliability on the road network at 55 per cent, which is the lowest it has been since 2002, due to increased traffic in the run-up to Christmas. The results from the survey of over 100 logistics operators are seen as an indication of the impact of the increase in domestic road freight ac
March 17, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A 6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) survey has revealed that congestion on UK roads is at the worst it has been for over ten years.   
 
FTA’s Quarterly Transport Activity Survey (QTAS) illustrated the rate of deterioration in reliability on the road network at 55 per cent, which is the lowest it has been since 2002, due to increased traffic in the run-up to Christmas.
 
The results from the survey of over 100 logistics operators are seen as an indication of the impact of the increase in domestic road freight activity levels, and further highlight the rate of decline in the reliability of the UK motorway network.
 
Karen Dee, FTA’s director of Policy, said: “This FTA Survey is a clear indication that congestion on our roads has increased again, and drivers are getting stuck in traffic on a regular basis.  Reliability on the UK road network is crucial for road freight operators. The freight and logistics industry needs road infrastructure that it can rely on to ensure that products are moved efficiently and at reasonable cost.  As the economy grows there will be increasing demands which will mean more pressure to deliver and more vehicles on the roads – so it is only going to get worse.”
 
Previously FTA voiced its support for the Road Investment Strategy (RIS) – which was announced by the Department for Transport in December 2014, stating that it “believed it can only be good news for all road users.”  The RIS outlines plans for US$22 billion to be spent over five years on 1,300 new lane miles on motorways and trunk roads in order to reduce congestion and fix some of the most notorious and longstanding problem areas on the UK road network.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Amey secures Transport Scotland ITS deal
    January 3, 2022
    Amey will operate and maintain VMS, CCTV and various power and communication cabinets
  • Cold efficiency
    July 24, 2012
    Tools to support operational decisions in winter maintenance can remove subjectivity and increase efficiency; Vaisala's Danny Johns talks about latest developments Even the presence of trees at the roadside can have an effect on temperature An effective Road Weather Information System (RWIS) network can save a local road authority or jurisdiction tens of thousands of dollars or Euros'-worth of labour and consumables in a single night. Get those winter maintenance operations right over just three or four nig
  • From gas tax to road pricing
    March 18, 2020
    Robert W. Poole of the Reason Foundation thinks that trust is going to be essential if US states are to transition from gas tax to road pricing.
  • US traffic congestion grows in 2013
    March 10, 2014
    Highway traffic congestion in the United States grew 6 per cent in 2013 compared with the previous year, more than three times the rate of inflation, according to traffic tracking firm Inrix. The rate compared with the gross domestic product increase of 1.9 per cent last year, Inrix said. Europe saw a similar increase in traffic congestion. Los Angeles saw the worst traffic congestion in 2013, Inrix said. The average driver there wasted 64 hours in traffic throughout the year, an 8.5 per cent increase