Londoners spent nearly a week of their lives sitting in traffic last year as capital remains most congested in the world
10 January 2023, 09:53
Londoners spent nearly a week of their lives sitting in traffic last year as the capital remained the most congested city in the world.
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Drivers spent an average of 156 hours sitting in traffic in 2022, according to traffic information supplier Inrix.
It is the second year in a row that London has topped the global congestion ranking, which covers more than 1,000 cities across 50 countries.
The length of time lost to jams in the city is 5% above pre-coronavirus levels.
It is a big jump up from 2019, when London was ranked the world's eighth most congested city.
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Bob Pishue, transportation analyst and author of the report, said: "It is great to see civic and commercial life returning to normal, but unfortunately we're seeing congestion inching closer to, if not exceeding, pre-pandemic levels.
"We must manage congestion while improving mobility and accessibility in cities to avoid it hurting economic recovery and impacting the quality of life of commuters and residents."
London was followed by Chicago in the US as the world's second most congested city last year, with drivers spending an average of 155 hours stuck in traffic.
In third place was Paris (138 hours) and fourth was the US city of Boston (134 hours).
Bristol has the UK's second worst road congestion (91 hours), followed by Manchester (84 hours), Birmingham (73 hours) and Belfast (72 hours).
The UK's five most congested road corridors were all found in London, with the most severe being the A219 southbound from Fulham to Morden - a major route out of the capital.
It was partly due to delays caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles.
