Average driving speeds have fallen within some of the UK’s major cities in just one year, research suggests.
The study by In-car Cleverness found London to be the worst offender, with average driving speeds five miles from the centre reaching just 8mph. Since 2016, speeds within one mile of the centre have dropped by more than a mile per hour, with the average driver now barely registering 5mph.
In-car Cleverness analysed nearly 400,000 journeys over the same three-month period in 2016 and 2017, measuring average miles per hour achieved when driving within a five-mile radius of major city centres.
Drivers slow to less than 7mph toward the centre of Edinburgh, while roads in Manchester are also giving commuters cause for concern.
Driving speeds within one mile of the centre of Manchester have dropped by nearly 2mph in just a year, with motorists now averaging just over 6mph.
The most recent statistics from the Department for Transport estimated that 68% of people are driving as part of their commute, meaning that millions of motorists around the UK’s busiest cities could be losing significant time otherwise spent at home or work.
Paul O’Dowd, head of sales at In-car Cleverness, said: “The figures paint a stark picture of how everyday commuters, drivers and even businesses are struggling to get around or operate in some of the biggest hubs in the UK.
“Traffic-management technology is becoming readily-available to drivers and businesses who are being robbed of time and money, the technology can help avoid these costly traffic jams and save time.”
In-car Cleverness’ bespoke telematics service features a mapping facility that gives businesses the ability to view live traffic and divert drivers away from heavy traffic and congestion.
Using a decade of real-world application, In-car Cleverness telematics devices generate insights on driver behaviour, fuel consumption and traffic management to help fleets and drivers run more efficiently, economically and safely.
Brett - 05/09/2017 11:42
I honestly believe the low speeds is due to poor traffic management by council planners. Most traffic lights are out of sync to each other, Speed limits reduced on main trunk roads that lead in, out and through cities. Of course the increase of traffic hasn't helped but even at 7pm I always hit half the traffic lights leaving Sheffield. In fact Penistone Road, Derek Dooley way, Sheffields Ring Road and the Parkway are all examples of bad planning. They've replaced roundabouts with traffic lights and removed many underground walkways for pedestrians to avoid crossing the roads (this was due to rough sleepers and crime related issues). All these add to the increase in stop start traffic. Many points of Penistone road could have traffic lights replaced with Give Way signs instead and restrict traffic turning right to a few points on the road (or go back to the roundabouts that worked!).