Driving in London costs drivers an average of £1,377 in lost time each year, according to traffic data experts at INRIX. Motorists driving in Bristol were second hardest hit, with £805 in lost time, followed by Manchester at £742.
Here motoring journalist and expert Pete Barden takes a look at research released by INRIX that reveals the amount of money drivers have lost through delays, along with a breakdown of where the UK’s busiest routes are. Read on to see if your commute of school run makes the list of most-congested roads in the UK.
The data also reveals just how many hours drivers are losing to congestion on the UK’s roads at traffic levels return to those of pre-pandemic times.
UK's busiest routes have been revealed - is your
commute on the list (Photo: Pxhere.com)
What are the most congested cities in the UK?
Here INRIX reveals the urban areas that are most congested, with London inside the M25 topping the list. London was also top last year, but the results show that Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham has become more congested in 2022, when compared with 2021.
| 2022 UK Rank (2021 Rank) | City | 2022 Delay hours (2021) | Cost per Driver |
| 1 (1) | London | 156 (148) | £1,377 |
| 2 (3) | Bristol | 91 (66) | £805 |
| 3 (6) | Manchester | 84 (66) | £742 |
| 4 (8) | Birmingham | 73 (53) | £646 |
| 5 (7) | Belfast | 72 (53) | £636 |
| 6 (9) | Nottingham | 71 (58) | £625 |
| 7 (21) | Edinburgh | 67 (45) | £593 |
| 8 (10) | Hull | 68 (56) | £604 |
| 9 (13) | Leeds | 60 (50) | £503 |
| 10 (12) | Leicester | 62 (53) | £551 |
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Most-congested roads in London – is your route included?
The five most congested routes in the UK are all in London. The A219 S/B from A304 Fulham Road to A297 Morden Hall Road – saw drivers lose 47 hours in 2022 – and was the most congested in the UK. The following table lists the other most-congested routes within the M25 across London.
| Rank | City | Road | Peak Hour | Annual Peak Hours Lost |
| 1 | London | A219 S/B from A304 Fulham Road to A297
Morden Hall Road |
17:00 | 47 |
| 2 | London | A202E/B from Neathouse Place to B215
Peckham Hill Street |
17:00 | 45 |
| 3 | London | A406 North Circular Road E/B from A1
Falloden Way to A110 Bowes Road |
16:00 | 42 |
| 4 | London | A24 S/B from A205 The Avenue to A238
Merton High Street |
16:00 | 38 |
| 5 | London | A205 E/B from A215 Norwood Road to
Ravensbourne Road |
16:00 | 36 |
Busiest roads across the rest of the UK
Heading beyond the streets and roads of London, INRIX has also included a list of the busiest roads elsewhere in the UK. See if your commute or school run is included in the list here.
| Rank | City | Road | Peak Hour | Annual Peak Hours Lost |
| 1 | Birmingham | A45 E/B from Bordesley Circus to Henry Road | 16:00 | 37 |
| 2 | Leeds | A6177 S/B from Bolton Road to Great Horton Road | 16:00 | 34 |
| 3 | Birmingham | A435 S/B from Haden Circus to Wynfield Gardens | 16:00 | 33 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | A902 W/B from A901 Great Junction Street to A90 Hillhouse Road | 16:00 | 30 |
| 5 | Leeds | A65 S/B from B6153 Park Road to The White Horse Roundabout | 16:00 | 30 |
| 6 | Sheffield | A61 from Moore Street Roundabout to A6101 Bradfield Road | 16:00 | 29 |
| 7 | Birmingham | A45 W/B from B425 Hobs Moat Road to Bordesley Circus | 16:00 | 28 |
| 8 | Birmingham | A34 Stratford Road S/B from Camp Hill Circus to Hamlet Road | 17:00 | 28 |
| 9 | Bristol | A4174 Bristol Ringroad N/B from Hicks Gate Roundabout to Bromley Heath Roundabout | 17:00 | 28 |
| 10 | Edinburgh | A702 S/B from Brougham Street to the City of Edinburgh Bypass | 16:00 | 27 |
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Author: Pete Barden:
Twitter: @pete_barden
Pete Barden is a qualified journalist who has written and produced for publications including The Sun (thesun.co.uk), New Statesman Media Group, Whatcar? (Whatcar.com) Stuff Magazine (Stuff.tv), Fastcar Magazine (Fastcar.co.uk), Maxim Magazine and UK broadcast stations within the Heart network (Formerly GCAP). Pete specialises in motoring and travel content, along with news and production roles. You can find out more about Pete Barden on LinkedIn.
