Bristol Street Motors' Traffic Barometer

Bristol Street Motors' Traffic Barometer

Whether you work in a small town or a big city, most of us will at some point have to take on a bit of rush hour traffic.

But not all traffic jams are created equal! We wanted to know which motorists experience the quietest traffic. So, we did a bit of digging.

We analysed data from TomTom’s Traffic Index, which looked at the congestion levels of cities in the UK. Continue reading, below, to see how rush hours and traffic jams compare across the country.

What are the best UK cities for traffic and rush hour?

There are some cities that are a breeze to drive through, experiencing less congestion and shorter rush hours than the rest of the country.

In terms of congestion, Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, and Reading all boast the lowest average congestion levels in the UK. Travelling on the road in these cities during heavy traffic takes only 17% longer than it would during quieter conditions. Not bad.

For comparison, if an average UK journey during heavy traffic adds 7.2 minutes to a 30 minute trip, then travelling through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, and Reading only adds 5 minutes in similar conditions.

When it comes to time spent in rush hour, Reading and Coventry are again amongst the quietest cities in the UK. These locations only lose 62 and 63 hours, respectively, in commuting queues, which works out as about 2.5 days. Preston, Middlesbrough, and Southampton all have similarly short rush hours, too.

How busy are UK roads?

Our research found that, on average, UK cities experience congestion levels of 24% over the course of the year. This means that if you were to make a journey that typically takes 30 minutes in normal conditions, it would be 24% (or 7.2 minutes) longer with traffic.

Over the course of a year, this time adds up. In fact, our analysis found that UK motorists spend an average of 86 hours in rush hour traffic.

For rush hour, we also found that Friday was typically the busiest day of the week, especially in the evening. No doubt the roads are congested with people wanting to get home from work as soon as possible to enjoy their weekend.

What are the most congested UK cities?

According to our research, Edinburgh is the most congested city in the UK. Journeys through the Scottish capital take 35% longer to complete during times of heavy traffic.

London was a close second, with congestion levels of 33%, while both Hull and Brighton contend with 32% congestion levels over the course of a year.

When it comes to rush hour, however, it’s a slightly different story. Hull residents lose the most time to rush hour traffic every year, spending 121 hours (around 5 days) stuck in commuting queues. That’s 40% higher than the national average!

Unsurprisingly, London motorists lose a similar amount of time to rush hour every year, with 119 hours spent trying to get to and from work. Edinburgh, Brighton, and Bournemouth then round out the rest of the top five most time consuming rush hours.

Commuting tips to avoid traffic during rush hour

As our research shows, driving through rush hour traffic is an inevitability, no matter where you live in the UK. But we all love to drive! And there are always ways to minimise the impact and make driving more enjoyable.

Take a look below at our commuting tips. Find out how to avoid traffic during the worst of rush hour.

1. Be flexible with travel times

While your shift may start at the same time every day, you can avoid rush hour simply by setting off from home earlier in the morning.

Of course, no one likes waking up before their usual alarm time, but you get more time back in your day that would otherwise be wasted in traffic. Many people join gyms close to their office or workplace, travelling in earlier to avoid traffic and start their day on a more productive note.

Your place of work might even offer flexible starting times. So, if you’re fed up with the same traffic jams every morning, enquire with your line manager about starting your day earlier or later to avoid rush hour.

2. Try alternative routes

No matter where you work, everyone has their tried and tested routes that they take every morning and evening. However, we recommend trying alternative routes to avoid the worst of rush hour.

For example, your usual route might be the shortest on paper, but it could also be the busiest come rush hour. Research some alternative journeys online and test them out, seeing if you can avoid traffic on quieter roads.

Bear in mind, some of the routes will not be winners, with many drivers of the same mind to avoid common bottlenecks. Yet, if you can shave even 5 minutes off your typical travel time, then that’s time won back for you.

3. Use satnavs with live traffic updates

Gone are the days of only being able to get the latest traffic updates from the radio. Now, you can use a satnav that automatically takes into account live traffic jams to calculate the shortest route.

Even if you know the way to work like the back of your hand, this can be an invaluable investment to minimise the time you spend in traffic. Alternatively, if you use an app for directions, you can set Apple Maps and Google Maps to avoid traffic, getting you to the office much quicker.

With these commuting tips, you can avoid rush hour and make your morning commute an enjoyable part of your day. If you want an even smoother journey, however, we’d recommend upgrading your current motor. View our collection of new and used cars, to help you breeze through the traffic.