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It’s pretty common knowledge that nobody gets anywhere fast when they get behind the wheel during rush hour in central London.
But a report from TomTom has revealed that it’s actually the worst city in the world for peak traffic jams.
It takes motorists an average of 42.5 minutes to travel just 10 km in a petrol car, with 43 percent of that time due to traffic.
By comparison, it takes just 32 minutes to cover the same distance in Paris, 28 minutes in Manchester and 25 minutes in Los Angeles.
But Bucharest in Romania and Dublin in Ireland come second and third respectively, where this journey takes about 36 minutes during peak hours.
A report from TomTom has revealed that London is actually one of the worst cities in the world for peak traffic congestion. Pictured: commuting and travel time in 2022 for a 10km rush hour trip in 50 cities. Dark blue = Travel time, light blue = fuel costs
TomTom has produced a report entitled ‘TomTom Traffic Index 2022’, which details the fuel consumption, travel times and CO2 emissions of drivers in 50 global cities. Pictured: Time it takes to drive 10 km during rush hour (dark blue) and when there was little traffic (light blue) in several cities
TomTom has produced a report entitled ‘TomTom Traffic Index 2022’, which details the fuel consumption, travel times and CO2 emissions of drivers in 50 global cities.
Real-time data was collected from 600 million active devices, including navigation systems, smartphone apps and telematics systems, and was combined with fuel prices in various countries.
Emissions calculations were made by entering a vehicle’s speed, efficiency and fuel type into a simulation tool developed at the Graz University of Technology.
Thanks to its astronomical travel times, London also ranked first among all cities for the highest fuel consumption per mile by 2022.
It took 1.47 liters of petrol or 1.27 liters of diesel to drive just 10 miles across the capital – a 2.5 percent increase from 2021.
“The onward train is severely impacting levels of traffic congestion, with commuters choosing to use vehicles to move around towns when there are no rail services,” said Andy Marchant, a traffic expert at TomTom.
“In London in particular, a lack of black cab drivers may also have led more drivers to the city.”
Fuel prices in the UK also mean Londoners pay £1.79 to drive 6.2 miles (10km) – more than anyone else in the world.
The next most expensive places to drive this distance were Athens, where it costs £1.66, and Oslo, where it costs £1.64.
On the other hand, the cheapest places to ride 10 km are in the US, with £0.55 in Knoxville, Tennessee and £0.61 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Daily costs for driving 10 km in a petrol car (left) or an electric vehicle (right) in European and American cities. Light Blue = Money spent on fuel, Dark Blue = Money lost due to congestion
| Impact rank | urban area | Delay hours per driver | Cost per driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 156 | £1,377 |
| 2 | Bristol | 91 | £805 |
| 3 | Manchester | 84 | £742 |
| 4 | Birmingham | 73 | £646 |
| 5 | Belfast | 72 | £636 |
| 6 | Nottingham | 71 | £625 |
| 7 | Edinburgh | 67 | £593 |
| 8 | Hull | 68 | £604 |
| 9 | To lead | 60 | £530 |
| 10 | Leicester | 62 | £551 |
With an increase in fuel consumption, which increases by 33 per cent during rush hour in London, comes an increase in emissions.
An average city worker driving six miles (10 km) to and from work five days a week in 2022 will emit an additional 272 kg of carbon dioxide by traveling during rush hour.
Their total commuting emissions would be 1,094 kg of carbon dioxide if they drove a petrol car.
At the same distance and frequency, only 933 kg would have been released in Bristol, 862 kg in Edinburgh, 850 kg in Manchester and 763 kg in Cardiff.
In addition, TomTom’s Traffic Index found that diesel and petrol consumption per kilometer driven will increase in 16 out of 25 cities in the UK in 2022 compared to 2021.
Mr Marchant said: ‘The sheer amount of slow-moving traffic in UK cities, coupled with the UK’s aging road infrastructure, has a significant impact on transport emissions.
“Better traffic management based on real-time data intelligence is needed to ensure viable traffic flows and efficient use of city infrastructure.
“For government agencies in particular, location technologies will be a breakthrough in transforming the way people move around UK cities, supporting our transition to lower diesel and petrol consumption and more sustainable transport.”
An average city worker who drove six miles (10 km) to and from work five days a week in 2022 will emit an additional 272 kg of carbon dioxide by traveling during rush hour
London’s roads are known to be some of the most congested in the world, so during the pandemic the government introduced ‘Low Traffic Neighbourhoods’ (LTNs).
These areas are protected by a range of measures, including physical barriers, including large boxes filled with flowers to prevent motorists from passing.
They were intended to help reduce emissions and improve air quality in London’s residential areas, but received mixed reviews.
For supporters, LTNs make it much more pleasant to walk or cycle within the zone, as the vast majority of traffic has been banned from entering the area.
However, some say they actually make traffic worse as people are forced to drive more to avoid them, and that they are just another way to fine motorists.
A few weeks ago, a cyclist and a motorist went to Kennington, South London, to compare the time it takes to cross the LTN.
It took the bike just eight minutes to make the 1.3-mile journey, but the Cavansite Blue Mercedes C350e took almost 40 minutes.