Drivers face growing delays on England roads
Delays on England roads have increased by 5.5% since June 2024, according to new government figures.
Data from the Department for Transport has revealed that average delays on England’s major road arteries have increased to 11.6 seconds per mile.
Delays on local roads are even more extreme at 46.2 seconds per vehicle mile.
According to the Strategic Road Network, average speeds in London have slowed by nearly four miles an hour in the last year and five miles an hour since the pandemic, which equates to 10%. Meanwhile, traffic has slowed by 7.8% in the West Midlands and six per cent in West Yorkshire.
In contrast, average speeds on roads about Newcastle and in Northumberland have improved by 1.3% while those in Tees Valley by 1.6%.
Smart motorways
The AA believes that smart motorways have contributed to the rise in delays, with many drivers avoiding the first lane for fear of colliding with a stranded vehicle. A number of reports into the impact of smart motorways have been carried out, but their findings have not been released.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for The AA, said:
“Drivers probably won’t be surprised to hear that their journey times have increased over the past year, especially on our motorways.
“With numerous stretches of so-called ‘smart’ motorway now in regular use, rather than improving traffic flow it seems to have created more bottlenecks. There are several reports about these schemes which have not yet been released by the Department for Transport which would show what, if any, improvements drivers have experienced.
“We need these documents released to understand what traffic flow benefits have been made, alongside a value for money assessment on these motorways drivers perceive as dangerous.”
