Traffic jams are on the rise

According to a recent survey taken by TomTom, traffic jams in Britain have got worse.

The average journey for each driver in 2014 took 29% longer than they would in free-flowing traffic up from 27% in 2013.

TomTom gathered 12 trillion pieces of traffic data. The data revealed that the evening rush hour is the worst time of day to be on the roads as congestion levels are doubled.

In 2014, a typical UK city commuter with a 30 minute drive home spent an extra 66 hours stuck in traffic than they would have done on a free flowing road. Added to the 63 hours stuck in morning traffic, that’s 129 wasted hours in a year!

Belfast came out as the worst city for traffic jams, with the average journey taking 39% longer than in free-flowing traffic. Those travelling home during the evening rush hour can take up to as much as 89% longer!

TomTom Traffic vice-president Ralf-Peter Schaefer said: ”Road authorities and local governments can use traffic data to better manage traffic flow and businesses can plan smarter working hours, so their employees avoid travelling during the rush-hour.”

The cities which have seen an increase in traffic delays include London, Brighton and Hove, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Southampton.

So is now the best time to switch to two wheels? Probably not with the weather we have in the U.K.