London’s roads ‘most congested in Europe’, analysis suggests

London’s roads were the most congested in Europe last year, according to new analysis.

Transport analytics company Inrix said drivers in the capital spent 101 hours sitting in traffic in 2024, a 2% increase from the previous year.

The total cost to London was estimated at £3.85 billion, at an average of £942 per driver.

Paris had the second most clogged-up roads in Europe in 2024 with 97 hours of delays per driver, followed by Dublin (81 hours).

London was ranked the fifth most congested city in the world, with Istanbul in first place.

Across the UK, the average driver spent 62 hours in congestion last year, an increase of one hour from 2023.

Bristol was the second worst UK city for traffic, with 65 hours of delays per driver, ahead of Leeds in third spot (60 hours).

Manchester was in fourth position after a 13% year-on-year rise in delays, from 54 hours to 61 hours.

The ranking is based on the length of delays, weighted by the size of each city’s population.

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

“Roadworks in key corridors such as M25 Wisely interchange caused considerable traffic on a main artery into the capital.

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

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

Inrix said London contained most of the worst corridors for traffic delays in the UK because of the “concentration of population, employment and economic activity”.

A spokesperson for Transport for London, which is responsible for a network of red route roads carrying a third of the capital’s traffic, said: “We are committed to making sure Londoners can move around the capital as safely, sustainably and efficiently as possible.

“We support the movement of everyone across London and our investment in walking, cycling and public transport is making it easier to choose sustainable ways of travelling, helping to cut congestion.

“Our network includes some of the busiest roads in the country and we continue to invest in world-leading programmes to make sure roads are used as efficiently as possible.”

Inrix said it used “diverse” sources to produce its analysis, including from phones and vehicles.