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The most congested roads aren't those with cycling infrastructure - whatever opponents of cycle lanes sayLondon traffic jam (licensed CC BY 2.0 by Garry Knight on Flickr)

The most congested roads aren't those with cycling infrastructure - whatever opponents of cycle lanes say

Annual study from Inrix highlights the UK's 15 most clogged up roads - Embankment doesn't even make the top 5 in London...
by Simon_MacMichael
Tue, Feb 12, 2019 14:05
7

An annual study of traffic congestion around the world has once again confirmed what opponents of segregated cycling infrastructure don’t seem to understand – that London’s most congested roads aren’t ones where Cycle Superhighways have been built.

Indeed, one new entry from the capital to the list of the UK’s 15 most congested roads illustrates the point perfectly – running as it does from Canary Wharf to Tower Bridge via The Highway.

Canary Wharf, of course, is home to the eponymous property group that owns the land on which that the financial district on the Isle of Dogs is built, and which has been one of the most vociferous opponents of the East-West Cycle Superhighway.

That route has its easternmost point at Tower Bridge, running along the Embankment towards Westminster and then Hyde Park, but despite what critics of the infrastructure might have you believe, it doesn’t make the top five most congested roads in London.

Officially designated Cycle Superhighway 3, that route continues east as a non-segregated cycle lane not along The Highway, but on the parallel Cable Street to the north – providing further evidence that the blame for congestion certainly doesn’t lie with cyclists.

The research carried out by traffic data firm INRIX, found that London is the sixth most congested city worldwide, and ranks second behind Moscow in Europe.

As we pointed out on our Live Blog this morning, the data from the INRIX 2018 Traffic Scorecard also highlighted that in a number of UK cities, the quickest way of getting about is by bicycle, with last-mile traffic speed in London, for example, running at just 7 miles per hour.

Birmingham once again followed London as the UK’s second most congested city in 2018, with Glasgow in third place and Manchester and Bristol rounding out the top five. In sixth place was Edinburgh, then Sheffield, Leicester, Leeds and Liverpool.  

Here is the list of the 15 most congested roads in the UK, according to the INRIX research.

UK's most congested roads 2018 (source Inrix).PNG

Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX, commented: “Congestion costs Brits billions of pounds each year. Unaddressed, it will continue to have serious consequences for national and local economies, businesses and citizens in the years to come.

“In order to avoid traffic congestion becoming a further drain on our economy, it is increasingly obvious that authorities need to adapt. With the help of new and innovative intelligent transportation solutions, we can begin to tackle the mobility issues we face today.”

Commenting on the data Glynn Barton, director of network management at TfL, said: “We are taking bold action to reduce congestion and improve London’s poor air quality.

“This includes removing the Congestion Charge exemption for private hire vehicles and reducing the time taken to clear up unplanned incidents, ensuring that roadworks by utilities companies and others are better coordinated.

“We are also working with the freight industry to encourage more efficient deliveries across the capital.”

“To directly tackle poor air quality, we are ensuring that buses, taxis and private hire vehicles are as green as possible, alongside the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone this April.

“In delivering the Mayor’s ambitious plans for 80 per cent of all journeys to be made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2041, our plans will further help tackle congestion across London,” he added.

You can find the full INRIX 2018 Traffic Scorecard here, with results able to be filtered by country.

INRIX
Congestion
infrastructure
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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matthewn5 | 5 years ago
1 like

I think it's about time we talked about motor traffic holding up cyclists. Every night on CS1 I'm held up by slow-moving cars bumping over the speed humps...

Avatar
brooksby replied to matthewn5 | 5 years ago
0 likes

matthewn5 wrote:

I think it's about time we talked about motor traffic holding up cyclists. Every night on CS1 I'm held up by slow-moving cars bumping over the speed humps...

Anecdote: I ride home over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and up into North Somerset.

Streetview for reference, looking in the direction of travel away from the bridge: https://goo.gl/maps/proiRzoUhKF2

Bridge Road, the long straight road which goes from the bridge up to the traffic lights for the A369 Portishead Road is pretty much a traffic jam in the evenings, even though the council got around to making judicious use of double yellows.

You have a row of parked cars, then a row of practically stationary cars trying to get out of the city, and then moving cars coming back down toward the bridge.

Not enough room to overtake the traffic queue, and if I tried riding on the footway I'm pretty sure the Bristol Post would be calling for my head on a pike.

Bl00dy cars! Causing traffic congestion and holding up us law abiding cyclists!  Grrr...

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

matthewn5 wrote:

I think it's about time we talked about motor traffic holding up cyclists. Every night on CS1 I'm held up by slow-moving cars bumping over the speed humps...

Anecdote: I ride home over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and up into North Somerset.

Streetview for reference, looking in the direction of travel away from the bridge: https://goo.gl/maps/proiRzoUhKF2

Bridge Road, the long straight road which goes from the bridge up to the traffic lights for the A369 Portishead Road is pretty much a traffic jam in the evenings, even though the council got around to making judicious use of double yellows.

You have a row of parked cars, then a row of practically stationary cars trying to get out of the city, and then moving cars coming back down toward the bridge.

Not enough room to overtake the traffic queue, and if I tried riding on the footway I'm pretty sure the Bristol Post would be calling for my head on a pike.

Bl00dy cars! Causing traffic congestion and holding up us law abiding cyclists!  Grrr...

Don't tend to go that direction, certainly at that time, but i'm a bit surprised it's that stuffed you can't go on the outside of the cars - even if you're on/over the line a bit - but i've not tried so fair play. That said, wouldn't you want to pop along North Road anyway ? It's a *tiny* bit longer but way, way nicer, hardly any traffic, trees, gorgeous houses and with some lovely views - i'd definitely favour that route in that direction (other way it's often too much fun bombing down the A369 and Bridge Road to turn off 1 although I do sometimes just because it's so bloody nice along there)

Avatar
brooksby replied to fukawitribe | 5 years ago
0 likes

fukawitribe wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Anecdote: I ride home over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and up into North Somerset.

Streetview for reference, looking in the direction of travel away from the bridge: https://goo.gl/maps/proiRzoUhKF2

...

Don't tend to go that direction, certainly at that time, but i'm a bit surprised it's that stuffed you can't go on the outside of the cars - even if you're on/over the line a bit - but i've not tried so fair play. That said, wouldn't you want to pop along North Road anyway ? It's a *tiny* bit longer but way, way nicer, hardly any traffic, trees, gorgeous houses and with some lovely views - i'd definitely favour that route in that direction (other way it's often too much fun bombing down the A369 and Bridge Road to turn off 1 although I do sometimes just because it's so bloody nice along there)

(The problem is that so many people drive SUVs "For Safety" which are wide and tall, and its difficult to safely judge when you can nip around them into the oncoming traffic...)

I'd never thought of going round along North Road (don't think I've ever ventured into all those residential roads between Bridge Road and the woods).  Thanks!

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

fukawitribe wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Anecdote: I ride home over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and up into North Somerset.

Streetview for reference, looking in the direction of travel away from the bridge: https://goo.gl/maps/proiRzoUhKF2

...

Don't tend to go that direction, certainly at that time, but i'm a bit surprised it's that stuffed you can't go on the outside of the cars - even if you're on/over the line a bit - but i've not tried so fair play. That said, wouldn't you want to pop along North Road anyway ? It's a *tiny* bit longer but way, way nicer, hardly any traffic, trees, gorgeous houses and with some lovely views - i'd definitely favour that route in that direction (other way it's often too much fun bombing down the A369 and Bridge Road to turn off 1 although I do sometimes just because it's so bloody nice along there)

(The problem is that so many people drive SUVs "For Safety" which are wide and tall, and its difficult to safely judge when you can nip around them into the oncoming traffic...)

Aye, fair enough.

brooksby wrote:

I'd never thought of going round along North Road (don't think I've ever ventured into all those residential roads between Bridge Road and the woods).  Thanks!

No worries, I think you might like it - there's a wee bit of ramp up from Bridge Road, views great when you get up that bit and then it's pretty much flat or downhill unless you need to rejoin the A369. There's some amazing places in there, worth a detour if you get time. 

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
5 likes

How nice of that nice Mr Glynn Barton, director of network management TfL, to mention cycling; once and only in an aside at the end.  It's almost as if the most beneficial, cheapest to provide for, best value solution to congestion, pollution, obesity, health, global warming and road safety isn't really on TfL's radar.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
4 likes

Remember, boys and girls - it's the bicycles holding up all that important motor traffic, and never ever EVER the other way around... yes  

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