UK’s most congested cities revealed

New research has identified the UK’s most gridlocked cites, and revealed that some drivers spend nearly a week of their lives in traffic.

According to car insurance experts Quotezone, London is the most congested city in the UK with a six-mile journey taking an average of 40 minutes and drivers sitting in traffic for 148 hours a year.

Bristol is second on the list with an average of 89 hours a year wasted in traffic, followed by Manchester (88 hours). In both cities average driving speeds during rush hour is just 13mph.

Also among the UK’s most congested cities are Leicester (79 hours), Sheffield (76 hours), Liverpool and Belfast (both 75 hours), and Edinburgh (74 hours).

Quotezone CEO Greg Wilson said: “It’s frustrating when you start thinking about how many hours you’re spending each year waiting in traffic. Motorists in the capital are most impacted by congestion, losing nearly a week being stuck behind the wheel. What is quite surprising is that data shows Bristol is the second worst congested city in the UK, despite being considerably smaller than cities like Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds.

“With people living in the top 10 most gridlocked cities wasting between three and six days every year in traffic jams, there must be more steps taken to tackle congestion issues. Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, and Tyneside have already introduced clean air zones and congestion charges but we’re expecting more cities to join them in the near future, especially as the UK strives to meet its net zero targets.”