Official findings from an analysis of the 2018 Department for Transport (DfT) congestion figures show Britain’s motorways are struggling to cope with the amount of traffic and are so congested that, in some areas, drivers are clocking an average speed of only 25 miles per hour (mph).
DfT calculated average speeds by taking speed observations from a sample of cars across 24-hour periods throughout the year. They came up with the averages based on a whole day—not even when speeds are at their worst, during rush-hour.
Slow study
Experts found lots of slow areas within junctions between the slip road where motorists filter off and where vehicles enter and found 17 stretches of motorway where drivers averaged speeds below 30mph—less than the speed limit for residential areas.
Usain Bolt reached a top speed of 27.44mph when he ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championship—albeit an Olympic sprinter, Bolt still travelled at a speed faster than the traffic on the five slowest stretches of motorway.
It won’t come as a surprise if you’re a regular user of it, but experts found the slowest motorway sections on the London Orbital—the M25 (often ridiculed as nothing more than ‘a big car park’), leading to the Dartford Tunnel. They recorded average speeds near the A206 junction at 25.1mph and 25.4mph near the A2 junction.
Average speed (mph) of the UK’s five slowest motorways in 2018:
1) M25 northbound Dartford Crossing near A206 junction: 25.1mph
2) M25 northbound Dartford Crossing near A2 junction: 25.4mph
3) M5 northbound near Oldbury Viaduct junction 2: 26.7mph
4) M4 westbound near Chiswick junction 1: 27.1mph
5) M5 southbound near West Bromwich junction 1: 27.2mph
Other sections in the list included the northbound stretch of the M1 near J24 at Leicestershire with an average speed of 37.1mph.
The average speed on the M6’s worst stretch (southbound between J10 and J9) was 41.7mph.
DfT experts recorded the slowest part of the M11, as southbound, heading towards the M25, between J5 and J4 in north-east London. There, speeds averaged 42.1mph.
Averaging speeds of 44.6mph, the M62’s slowest section was near Manchester on the westbound carriageway between J19 and J18.
In a jam
Rod Dennis, Senior Press Officer for the RAC, said of the sluggish speeds:
‘As these figures show, drivers will be lucky if they can drive anywhere approaching the national speed limit on some of England’s most congested stretches of motorway.
‘While some are notorious and seemingly permanent bottlenecks, others are likely to be caused by long-term roadworks which means drivers will have to hope that journey times will drop when they’re finally lifted.
‘Drivers tell us that they are becomingly [sic] increasingly dependent on using their cars, so it’s vital that investment in our motorway network is maintained.
‘Worryingly for drivers, we have seen evidence that some work to reduce traffic at pinch points on the motorway network has actually had the undesired effect of making congestion even worse, not better.
‘Clearly, tackling congestion on the UK’s major roads is never a quick or straightforward task, or for that matter, cheap.’
The DfT hasn’t commented because of the ‘purdah’ period leading up to the General Election but, in 2016, said ‘they were ‘making the most extensive improvements to roads since the 1970s, to make journeys faster, better and more reliable’ yet here we still are with major congestion problems on our motorways.
To compare findings, I looked back at 2017, at another in-depth study on the 10 worst British motorways for congestion and which stretches of road recorded the slowest average speed.
The telematics business Satrak (now part of Danish firm, Trackunit) collected data from over half a million (527,000) vehicles from across the whole 2,173 miles of Britain’s motorway network. They found the M25 London Orbital to have the slowest average speed of any motorway—once again, at just 25mph. Crawling along at that speed, you’d need to undergo an average of a five-hour drive to cover the 117-miles circling the capital.
Dan Walton, co-owner and founder of Satrak, said of the tortoise-like speeds of the M2:
‘It’s little surprise to find that the M25 is, in fact, the slowest motorway. We undertake work throughout the country and usually find the M25 to be the most cumbersome, and our data provides evidence for that. I’ve heard of tailbacks stretching 12 miles in my time there so it’s of little surprise to me.’
Stuck for an answer
When discussing traffic levels, frustrated motorists have a lot to say, the inevitable topic of overpopulation comes up, and a political discussion begins about the immigration policies of both the Conservative and Labour parties.
In 2018, people born outside the United Kingdom made up about 14% of the UK’s population but it’s important to remember that the world’s population is expanding as a whole and more people means the potential for more cars.
Families often owned one car in the past, while now they may own two or more—although 2012 RAC Foundation research (based on the 2011 Census) found an average of 487 cars and vans per 1,000 people.
Location-based data and analytics company, Inrix reported that, across Britain, we spent an average of 178 hours stuck in fury-inducing traffic last year. The figure rose to 22 hours—equal to over nine days—for drivers in England’s capital.
Early this year, Inrix also released study findings that claimed congestion cost our economy a massive £7.9 billion last year—an average of £1,317 per driver. Instead of us spending money or working, we’re wasting time in traffic jams, moving at a snail’s pace.
Maybe motorway speeds would ease somewhat if drivers stopped hogging the middle lane and moved over when possible?
One thing is certain—commuting on the motorway can be intolerable and many of us view it as much a factor in choosing a job as the salary.
How is your motorway commute? Do you inch along certain routes? What’s the answer to the levels of congestion? Tell us your views in the comments.
“IMG_7629” by ianholton is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
The current road works on the raised section of the M5 between junctions 1 and 2 have now been EXTENDED by more than twelve months and are currently running in excess of two years.
This has caused substantial tailbacks for hours each day. It can take up to an hour to get through the jams caused by the road works. On one occasion it took me two hours.
Before these road works the road two miles up the road at the junction of the M5/M6 was in turmoil.
Before that lot of road works the nearby M6 between J7 and J5 was dug up for two years repairing the joints on the raised sections.
Once the current M5 J1 to J2 roadworks are complete the whole series will recommence.
The gullies/drains are rarely cleared. Debris and rubbish is also allowed to accumulate. Flooding across the motorways is frequent. On one occasion theWHOLE M5 was flooded near J1 on the RAISED SECTION!
!! Traffic was at a standstill. Bonkers.
The M6 toll road? Never busy, except at the toll booths. The current toll for most cars? £6.70. Vans and lorries you need a mortgage for. The asset of land belonging to the U.K. held to ransom by a private company.
I live in Cumbria & rarely drive further south than Manchester airport but in the summer decided to drive to the Cotswolds because I needed the car when I was there. I usually travel long distances by train. I set off mid morning on a weekday & averaged 35mph for the 200 mile journey, even though I used the M6 toll to avoid the problems om the M5 mentioned below. There were no accidents; it was just the volume of traffic.
That’s terrible. On Thursday I did Epping to near Blackpool, 240 miles. M25 to the M1 was very slow. M1 atrocious weather conditions with torrential rain, heavy spray and very poor visibility. M6 Birmingham painfully slow as far as north Staffordshire. Driving a pickup towing an empty large flatbed trailer, max. speed 60mph. Averaged 48.5mph. I was surprised it was so good when I checked the driving time (4hrs 55) on the tachograph.
it’s not just the motorways, I live in Cornwall and going anywhere and any time especially in the summer is sheer hell – you simply end up staying put because it’s not worth the hassle
Happily, with being retired, for most of the time I can avoid the worst periods for congestion, but not entirely. That which I have observed, however, is that the times of day when one can anticipate even the shortest of journeys to be within a tolerable time scale have dramatically reduced to the point of there now being almost no relatively quite periods, both on motorways and on urban roads. (I am referring to driving mainly in and around West Yorkshire using both urban roads and the M62 and/or the M1.)
Clearly, for one to be able to drive in reasonably flowing traffic, one has to avoid driving certainly before 09.00 and ideally after 09:30 (or drive before 06:00!). Traffic then peaks again between 12:00 and 14:00 and one then needs to aim to be off the road certainly by 15:00 to avoid the schools rat runs, even though those are now at more staggered times. Then, if one is lucky, one may just squeeze a quick but short run somewhere between 15:30 and 16:30, but that beginning to get a bit hairy by then. Thus, for all practical purposes, one’s day has to be compressed into the hours between 09:30 and 16:00, but even then the slightest of incident will cause chaos.
I have to say, I have to feel for anyone who has to earn a crust by driving, be that by a commercial vehicles or a private car and how on earth anyone is expected to maintain anything approaching a reasonable schedule is just incomprehensible. Indeed, without the advent of the mobile phone, a working life on the road would surely now be almost impossible. However, even that device of convenience has been rendered all but unusable, unless on hands-free or properly parked (quite rightly of course) and if the safety campaigners have their way, even hand-free usage is to be banned.
The paradox of course is that even as more of us move to using electric powered vehicles that will make no useful contribution to congestion. Neither will the mooted autonomous vehicles, but goodness if anyone alive now will ever see those on the UK roads. Vehicle possession is set to continuously expand. That is because of individual aspirations for everyone in a household to have their own car and because automotive industries form a major part of any modern economy and Government policy of perpetual economic growth will ensure that more vehicles will inevitably end up using our roads.
Thus, we shall either have to learn to live with congestion and adjust our lives accordingly, or governments will eventually have to bite the bullet of formulating the restricting of motor vehicles usage on the roads. How on earth any government can ever devise an equitable scheme for that contentious notion, however, I shall leave other to ponder upon.
I live on the South coast and have the single-laned A21 to take me Northwards or the single-laned A259 (becoming A27) to take me East/West, a journey I do once a week between Hastings and Hove). It isn’t until I get to the M25 that I experience motorway at all in this neck of the woods – and as the study shows, it’s the slowest in the UK. I would gladly leave the car and take a train between Hastings and Hove but guess what? The timing of the trains is such that it is nigh on impossible as you have to “leg it” amongst crowds on the platform at Brighton from Platform 7 to Platform 2 to catch a train that leaves 2 minutes after you’ve arrived – or wait half an hour for the next connection. Coming back, it’s even worse as there are no direct trains from Brighton to Hastings after about 18:00. That’s why I get in the car. That’s why I add to the ridiculous amount of traffic on the roads here. I leave an hour and a half for the journey to Hove and it’s only 30 miles away. It’s all very well telling people to get up earlier/leave earlier, whatever, but that only works up to a point. Unless one can change one’s working hours (and if one actually wants to!) what choice is there? Successive governments have failed to invest in public transport (and when the rail companies have all been sold off to private racketeers, why should they feel the need, I guess?) The same goes for the roads. We pay a huge amount of road tax and yet cannot use the roads for which we pay.
The M20 north bound from Dover is subject to 50mph variable I have been using this over the past few months north bound, and it 2 lanes, the biggest issue on this motorway are trucks doing in excess of 50mph overtaking and generally intimidating motorist by tailgating them and flashing their lights at you, this has happened to most motorists that I’ve seen and experienced, I’m now considering buying a dash cam and passing the video to the police.
Last week a truck with a trailer harassed me and I had to speed up to 60mph to get past a block of traffic to allow it to pass within 10mins I’d lost sight of it, it was going that fast.
Something needs to be done about them.
I no longer have a job and, despite applying, I get few responses because of my age I believe.
I’m 68 now and considering all my work experiences over the years I should be getting replies but that’s another story.
I avoid my nearest Motorway as best I can and the only Motorways that I’ve used this year have been the M40 and the M4 – once.
I will not use the M1 until such time as it is actually finished because it’s had work going on locally to me for many years now and nothing seems to change.
On major motorways now it seems to me that HGVs rule the roads and these huge, vastly-overpowered machines are THE major reason that I avoid motorways unless I have no choice.
Why rail freight was slowly phased out in favour of road freight defeats me in this country where successive governments use the ordinary motorist as cash cows and ignore the appalling standards of many HGV Drivers these days.
I’ve lost count of the number of timesI have had to accelerate away from tailgating HGVs and I am now slouch on the road but I do observe the common senses rules of distance between vehicles at speed.
Many HGV Drivers use trucks to intimidate drivers obeying recommended speed limits by tailgating until you either pull away or allow them to pass you in the centre lane.
If you allow them past, you can guarantee that in minutes you will have to overtake them on inclines only to experience the repeated tailgating later!
I came back from Wales this year on the M4 after spending a nerve racking hour of this with one HGV constantly repeating this even when I was at 70-75mph!
He even overtook me on the inside,at speed when I was stuck behind a car in the middle lane doing 55mph; one of the most terrifying experiences I’d ever had as it was windy and raining at the time.
What’s needed now is more legislation brought in on HGVs because it is mostly HGVs that govern road speeds.
I must add that I am not criticising ALL HGC Drivers, just the idiots putting everyone at risk with their appalling driving.
You shouldn’t be on the road full stop. You sound like a terrible and nervous driver.
There are other roads to motorways and a motorway is not a motorway unless it has miles of roadworks on it then it is
Yet we still need 250,000 more people a year to be crammed on our little island according to politicians, in the 1970s it took me less time to travel the A1 than it does today, those days the car struggled to do 50mph for more than 1/4hr without overheating. More people more congestion is an obvious statement, but that’s racist to say so.
No sympathy. So many journeys by car are not needed when 2 wheels will do! Amazingly a recent study showed that if a quarter of drivers changed to 2 wheels traffic would be cut by 40%. Furthermore alot of parents don’t help by putting kids in cars when they reach 17.
Difficult one this, we know our roads are over congested and the population is set to expand so we are going to have to face the fact that we need the public transport system completely overhauled allowing the majority of people to not only use it but enjoy comfort and low cost transport leaving the roads for those who really have no choice.
This is motorway dr4iving not A or B road driving so your point is moot. You also make many assumptions regarding motoring and cycling. The opposite could be argued that by cycling you are part of the problem in cities and towns as many rarely observe traffic lights or junctions and often ride in the middle of the traffic lane causing congestion.
The M62 between. junctions 24 -27 Huddersfield to Leeds is terrible every week day except……..Friday when I just sail through. Just shows how many people don’t work Fridays or “work from home”. If those “work from home” days were spread out during the week it might help. Of course there’s a reason why people “work from home” on a Friday!! Nice extension to their weekend off I think. “Work from home” yeah right!!
the smart motorway has not helped in that area it just slows traffic to a halt also at junc 26 east bound the lights are never used on the slip way thus you end up with traffic pushing on to a already jammed motorway the 4 lanes past the services hgvs will block up 3 of the 4 lanes leaving one for everyone else ,should be more working from home why you need to sit in an office in leeds when you can do it at home is beyond me , school run is another blockage and also dictates traffic levels just make them walk like the rest of us used to do
I have been quite disgusted by the recent smart motorway ‘improvements’ on the M60 in Manchester where they only added speed limiters (they did not make the hard shoulder into an extra lane as they have done with others) causing several years of severe delays and overnight closures to produce a motorway that has not improved and still crawls at peak times. A horrendous waste of taxpayers money.
that area is just a cash machine like all other not so smart motorways they simply do not work
My daily commute in to London from North Kent is a distance of 26 miles garage to parking spot. By motorcycle it takes 40 minutes. By car the regular timing is 90 minutes, with at least 45 minutes of that spent covering the last circa 7 miles along the A2/A102 to the Blackwall Tunnel and then to St Kathryn Dock. It takes nothing at all, last Monday it was just rain, for the journey to get even longer – Monday’s was a full 2-1/4 hours in light rain, wet road surfaces and four separate vehicle collisions where drivers going too fast (!) too close. Fast? We’re talking stop/start crawl. The thing is volume of traffic coupled with the junctions along the dual carriageway. Traffic merging onto the main road causes pure chaos along the traffic flow. Attempts to join and then merge out into lanes 2 and 3 are at the root. Drivers simply wanting to get on with their journey make it worse for themselves and everyone else. But what are they to do? The junction design doesn’t lend itself to a constantly flowing merge. It contributes to the logjamming that occurs. Even encourages it! And not very much will change until the whole approach to junctions to these major roads is revised entirely.
Shows how we need things like proper full fibre internet access so more of us can work from home and free up road space for those who actually need to physically be on site.
It is shameful to me that this has been largely achieved in South Korea and Japan yet barely 10% in the UK
And average speeds on A roads can be down to 5mph at peak times (which now seem to last twice as long as they used to!). THEN, cheeky councils blame motorists for air pollution, completely ignoring the fact that their appalling road planning and overuse of traffic lights (especially pedestrian crossings that stay red for an age) means many drivers sit revving impatiently before racing around to join the back of the next gridlock.
There are a number of posts here agreeing and/or bemoaning the problem, but solutions are more difficult. Public transport (be it trains or buses) doesn’t take you where you want to be and is often seen as expensive as well. Cycling is good for short distances but even where I live in Cambridge it’s hazardous (and cyclist are a hazard to pedestrians).
Looking overseas, we aren’t alone in having traffic congestion, but it’s interesting to see how others cope. I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago on business and Highway 91 was 9 lanes – in each direction. The two express lanes were paid for on a price per mile, which changes according to the time of day. I gather there are even more lanes on some parts of the Interstate system. I personally don’t think this works – and isn’t practicable for the UK – and there are regular choke points on their system.
The most novel approach, in my view, is Singapore, where you have to buy a permit before you buy a new car. The permits are auctioned every month and cost something like the cost of the new car itself! They last 10 years. It’s certainly an effective way to ration cars on the road, but I could never see it working in the UK – politically or practically.
Other countries work with superb public transport.
So how does the UK address the challenges… not very well, but it always seems to mean higher costs for the motorist, for little practical gain in terms of congestion or the enivironment.
Of course the speed of travel for traffic on the M25 at the Dartford Crossing would be improved in a thrice, if the toll charge was dropped and as us poor motorists have had to pay tolls there for fifty years or so it doesn’t look like will change any time soon.
By two wheels, I mean powered two wheelers.
It seems to me that increasing congestion is due to the number of drivers remaining in outside lanes regardless of whether the inside lanes are empty. New cars now have warnings when leaving a lane- perhaps they cant be bothered to move left as required when not overtaking because the alarm will go off. The road should have more vehicles n the near side lane not the reverse as this holds back the traffic flow.
The main problem on motorways apart from congestion is miles of roadworks cordoned off with a 50mph limit and work – if it is taking place at all – in only one small part of the roadworks. Also I have seen work taking place off the motorway with concrete safety bariiers in place but still a 50mph speed limit – or lower. The “smart” motorway on the M1 between Jct 31 and Jct 28 had roadworks in place for the whole length of the works for over 2 years – ridiculous. There was no work taking place for long periods and the speed of work only increased when this was highlighted on the national news.
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