EDINBURGH and Glasgow are both suffering worsening traffic congestion, according to a new report.
Edinburgh emerged as the third-worst city for congestion in the UK, with Glasgow in 17th place.
Glasgow’s overall congestion level, according to TomTom went up from 22% in 2013 to 24% last year. Edinburgh has fared even worse – possibly as a result of the trams – with congestion going up from 34% to 36% over the same period.
The fifth annual Traffic Index from TomTom shows that across the UK average journeys in 2014 took 29%* longer than they would in free-flowing traffic – up from a 27% delay in 2013.
Traffic jams in 14 out of Britain’s 17 biggest cities have got worse over the past 12 months. The only city where congestion has improved is Bristol – for the second year running.
The analysis of 12 trillion pieces of traffic data worldwide revealed that the evening rush hour is the most congested time of day.
Nearly every city can expect to double its congestion level during the evening peak, compared with the rest of the day.
Congestion levels have also got worse over the past year in London, Brighton, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Southampton.
They have also failed to improve in Sheffield and Leeds-Bradford.
The TomTom Traffic Index shows that Belfast is the most congested city in the UK, with journey times 39% slower than free-flow traffic throughout the day – peaking at 82% longer in both the morning and evening rush hours.
Second is London with journey times 37% slower, rising to 67% in the evening peak.
