BELFAST has ranked third in the UK’s most congested areas.
According to traffic specialists INRIX ranked cities across the UK by the number of hours wasted in a car each year.
And it’s no surprise that according to their research London is Europe’s most congested city with drivers spending an unbearable 96 hours a year in gridlock.
The question is, is it time to embrace public transport?
Of the UK’s 10 most congested areas of 2014 (ranked by annual hours wasted in the car) Greater Belfast tied third as drivers annually waste 37 hours in their stationary car, matching larger cities like Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds.
Population growth and urbanisation are obvious reasons to blame for the increase in traffic but the economy is also seen to be responsible.
As the economy continues to recover from the recession of 2007-2013, congestion appears to correlate with a striking 77% increase of traffic in UK cities.
Plus, the UK has climbed to 5th place for the worst traffic in Europe 2014.
President and CEO of INRIX, Bryan Mistele said: “For the third year running, traffic in the UK is up. The strong growth of the UK economy and rise in urban populations have resulted in an increase in the demand for road travel, significantly driving levels of congestion up across the country.”
When you’re alone sitting in your fiver-seater car next to a bus with plenty of spare seats, it does make you realise how effective the use of public transport, or even car sharing, can be. Here’s a tip – the A217 in London is the most congested road (costing drivers 139 hours a year!) So perhaps it’s better to avoid that one.