London remains world’s most congested city, report finds

London’s roads remain the most congested in the world, with more time being lost to traffic jams than before the pandemic, researchers have found.

Drivers in the capital spent an average of 156 hours waiting in traffic during 2022, according to a report by traffic information supplier Inrix.

It was the second year in a row that the city topped Inrix’s global congestion ranking.

Researchers also found the UK’s five most congested roads were in London.

The report, which covers 1,000 cities across 50 countries, found the time lost to traffic jams in the capital last year had risen 5% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The most severely congested corridor was the A219 southbound from Fulham to Morden – a major route out of the capital – on which drivers lost an average of 47 hours last year.

This was partly due to delays caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles, researchers said.

The report found Bristol had the UK’s second worst road congestion, followed by Manchester, Birmingham and Belfast.

Globally, Chicago in the US was found to be the world’s second most congested city last year, followed by Paris and Boston.

The report’s author Bob Pishue 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.”

Transport for London has been approached for comment.

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