London drivers lose 101 hours stuck in ‘worst traffic in Europe’ despite ‘world-leading’ road rules

Globally, London ranked as the fifth most congested city worldwide, trailing behind Istanbul (105 hours), New York City (102 hours), Chicago (102 hours) and Mexico City (97 hours).

The ranking methodology was based on the length of delays, weighted according to each city’s population size.

Transport experts Inrix attributed London’s high congestion levels to the “concentration of population, employment and economic activity” in the capital.

Across the UK, drivers spent an average of 62 hours in traffic congestion during 2024, marking a one-hour increase from the previous year.

Bristol emerged as the UK’s second most congested city, with drivers facing 65 hours of delays, while Leeds secured the third position with 60 hours of traffic delays per driver.

Manchester saw one of the most significant increases in congestion, with delays rising by 13 per cent from 54 hours to 61 hours, placing it fourth among UK cities.

Major infrastructure works, such as the M25 Wisely interchange improvements, contributed to substantial traffic delays on key routes into London.

Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue, who authored the report, said: “While the UK did see a slight increase in congestion again this year, overall congestion has remained steady.

“Interestingly it was cities outside of the capital that saw the greatest increase in congestion with Manchester seeing a large increase, up 13 per cent.

“While London only had a modest increase in time lost, it still represented half of the entire country’s delay.”

The data also found that drivers in the UK were spending less in 2024 on wasted fuel as they did in 2023, with a £24 drop, thanks to global oil prices falling.

A spokesperson for Transport for London said: “We are committed to making sure Londoners can move around the capital as safely, sustainably and efficiently as possible.

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