Top ten UK areas with the most traffic revealed

18 December 2023 , 10:50

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Five of the top locations were in the same city (Image: Tim Graham/Getty Images)

The Top Ten UK areas with the most traffic have been revealed - where you're not likely to get anywhere fast behind the wheel..

The areas which are busiest in the country show the hotspots for vehicles. And five of the locations are in the same city. Analysis was carried out of busy traffic areas in England, Wales and Scotland in 2022 and compared to previous years.

The number of vehicles was divided by road length which gave the highest traffic flows on a daily basis. The West London area of Hounslow topped the list recording an average of 8,835 vehicles which used its roads daily. The neighbouring area of Hillingdon was not far behind, notching up 8,670 and Thurrock in nearby Essex, recorded 7,966 vehicles per day. Elsewhere in the south of England, Enfield, Tower Hamlets and Kingston upon Thames registered 7,611, 7,609 and 7,574 respectively.

Busy traffic areas in England, Wales and Scotland were analysed compared to previous years (Getty Images)

In Scotland, by contrast, the lowest traffic flows were recorded in Shetland Islands (585) and Eilean Siar, on Lewis and Harris which had (469) vehicles. The Isles of Scilly, meanwhile, had just 173 vehicles a day. The wider city areas in England - Greater Manchester and the towns of Salford (7,530), Bury (7,348), Rochdale (6,017) and Bolton (5,592), were also among the top 50 areas which were the busiest.

Insurers Claims.co.uk analysed traffic in council areas to determine which area came out top. A spokesman said: "It is interesting to see which local authorities have the highest annual average daily flow as this indicates how much traffic they receive across the whole year, rather than just the busier periods on the roads."

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Earlier in the year The Mirror reported how traffic flow increased during the summer getaway as drivers embarked on 12.6 million car trips after schools broke up. In England and Wales, RAC expects predicted the number of journeys will exceed the pre-pandemic average.

The largest number of leisure trips will be taken on Saturday, with indications of 3.1 million – around 600,000 more than Sunday, with an estimated 2.5 million journeys. Up to 2.3 million leisure trips will be made by drivers on Friday, and around 1.6 million on Thursday to beat the rush.

An additional 4.8 million journeys are predicted during the summer rush.

UK's top daily traffic flows

Hounslow, West London - 8,835

Hillingdon, West London - 8,670

Thurrock, Essex- 7,966

Cardiff, Wales - 7,650

Enfield, North London - 7,611

Tower Hamlets, East London - 7,609

Kingston upon Thames, West London - 7,574

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Salford, greater Manchester - 7,530

Knowsley, Merseyside - 7,514

Warrington, Cheshire - 7,453

Graeme Murray