• Thu. Aug 28th, 2025

London congested road capital of England

ByTurquoisePR

Mar 9, 2022 #Cars

London has 94 of the worst 100 roads for delays in England according to new research from the Department for Transport.

 

The frustration does not end there for Londoners as the data shows they can endure hold-ups of up to 342 seconds per vehicle per mile (SPVPM). 

 

The data reveals only 12 roads of the more than 2,000 minor A roads managed by local and regional authorities across England had less than 10 SPVPM waits.

 

Londoners heading out of the capital should avoid the A2270, England’s worst major A road – part of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) – for delays. The road to Eastbourne racks up 196.5 seconds in average delays for every mile driven.

 

It’s not all bad news for users of major roads as those using the M6 Toll, A3 from Portsmouth to London and the A4 from Bristol to London can expect delays of less than three SPVPM.

 

The SRN in England is about 4,300 miles long and is made up of motorways, trunk roads and the most significant ‘A’ roads. Two thirds of all heavy goods vehicle mileage in England is undertaken on the SRN according to Transport Focus.

 

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, a leading insurance comparison website, comments: “It’s perhaps no surprise that London is the congestion road capital of England. However, the extent to which London dominates the slowest roads chart might shock even some of the capitals’ most frustrated motorists.

 

With fuel prices going up fast, prolonged queuing will start to hit motorists and many businesses in the pocket. 

 

“While the major roads generally offer a better flow of traffic, day-to-day use of more minor A roads can be much more of an issue. Even though remote working and new investment in bicycle routes will take some pressure off the roads, it is likely that many motorists will continue to endure delays.  It would be sensible to check car insurance policies have breakdown cover and the premium itself is as competitive as possible by using a comparison website – to help alleviate the rising cost of petrol.”

 

Quotezone.co.uk compares prices across all types of car insurance, including electric car insurance, helping around 3 million users every year find better deals on their insurance, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products. Recommended by 97% of reviewers on Reviews.co.uk.  

 

Worst delays for A roads that are not part of the SRN

 

Position most delays 

 

Road

Delay – seconds per vehicle per mile

 

Location

1

 

A3207

341.8

Wandsworth

2

 

A2198

337.4

Southwark

3

 

A5204

331.5

Westminster

4

 

A5268

304.9

Cheshire West & Chester

5

A200

301.9

Greenwich

 

6

A3216

292.2

Kensington and Chelsea

 

7

A2010

279.9

Brighton and Hove

 

8

A3217

278.0

Kensington and Chelsea

 

9

A4201

275.1

Westminster

 

10

A401

274.3

Islington

 

 

 

 

Least delays for SRN by SPVPM

 

Position least delays 

 

Road

Delay – seconds per vehicle per mile

 

Location

1

 

M6 Toll

1.7

Birmingham

2

 

A3

2.5

Portsmouth to London

3

 

A4

2.6

Bristol to London

4

 

M23

2.7

Central London

5

M40

2.7

 

Birmingham to London

6

M54

2.9

Shropshire & Staffordshire

 

7

M50

3.0

Worcestershire, Gloucestershire & Herefordshire

 

8

M53

3.2

Wirral

 

9

M65

3.2

Preston to Colne

 

10

A5130

3.6

Manchester

 

 

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