British commuters now spend an average of 10 working days a year stuck in traffic, according to a new study conducted by a leading satellite navigation manufacturer.
TomTom's 4th annual Traffic Index claims that traffic congestion in the UK has grown significantly worse over the past 12 months, with 10 of the country's 17 largest cities showing an increase in traffic jams.
London, Brighton, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Belfast, and Southampton were all found to have suffered an increase in congestion over the past year, with journey's nationwide taking an average 27% longer to complete than in free-flowing traffic. That figure is a one per cent increase on the previous year.
Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Glasgow saw no change in congestion levels, while only two areas - Bristol, and the West Yorkshire connurabation of Leeds-Bradford - managed to acheive success in combatting traffic jams.
Belfast topped the charts for the UK's most congested city, with journey times increasing on average by 33% when traffic is not free-flowing, rising to over 75% during rush hour.
The report also dispelled the myth that using 'rat runs' reduces travel time. Local roads were found to be 32% slower when congested than in free-flowing traffic, compared to an average 15% for main roads.
But, despair not, there is a crumb of good news for British motorists! Be thankful you don't have to negotiate the gridlocked streets of Moscow, found to be the worlds most congested city with an average congestion rate of 74%, rising to an eye-watering 141% during the evening peak.
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