Drivers in the UK lost on average 37 hours stuck in traffic last year – a drop of 68 percent, according to a new report.
The 2020 Global Traffic Scorecard, published by INRIX Inc, which provides mobility analytics and connected car services, identified and ranked congestion and mobility trends in more than 1,000 cities, across 50 countries during a year that brought economic and social disruption due to Covid-19.
The report revealed in a pre-covid financial environment, the time reduction – down from 115 hours in 2020 – would equate to an economic saving of £613 per person in the UK. Nationally, this adds up to more than £3.4 billion in time savings compared to 2019.
Drivers in London still lost 69 hours due to traffic congestion, followed by Lincoln at 47 hours and Bristol at 37 hours, despite seeing reductions of 53 percent, 42 percent and 64 percent compared to 2019.
Belfast saw the largest change in congestion at 31 hours, falling by 73 percent.
“These figures really hammer home the impact the pandemic has had on traffic volumes and congestion levels – almost overnight, roads that seemed perpetually grid-locked became deserted as lockdowns were enforced and millions started working from home,” said RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis.
