Sunday 23 August 2015 11:12 pm

Worst traffic jams in Europe: London beats Brussels and Cologne to top of table for most congested city

London is the most-congested city in Europe, while the UK is Europe’s fifth most congested country, according to a survey commissioned by traffic data company Inrix.

Drivers in the capital spent an average of 96 hours stuck in their cars in 2014 – the equivalent of four days a year – up 14 hours from the previous year.

And a 10-mile stretch on the A217, between Rosehill Roundabout and New King's Road, was singled out as the most congested road in Britain. Drivers forced to take this route lose 139 hours a year, Inrix estimated.

Outside of London the second most-congested city was Brussels, with drivers in the Belgian capital spending 74 hours a year waiting for traffic to clear.

Belgium was the world’s most congested country, with drivers losing 51 hours a year on average to jams.

Within the UK, Greater Manchester was the second worst city, with drivers stuck in traffic for 52 hours – more than two full days a year – an increase of six hours. Merseyside, Belfast and Birmingham came joint-third, with 37 hours-worth of traffic jams.

Urbanisation and population growth were cited by Inrix as the key factors behind the worsening congestion, although long-running infrastructure projects caused a 33 per cent rise in Coventry.

Responding to the figures, Transport for London’s chief operating officer for surface transport, Garrett Emmerson, said: “We are seeing unprecedented increases in population and this, combined with strong economic growth and the consequent increase in building and construction, creates more traffic. To tackle this, we need continued, sustained investment to boost capacity and modernise London’s road network.

“That’s why we invest every penny of our income in improving the capital’s transport network, including an unprecedented £4bn over the next few years to transform junctions, bridges, tunnels, cycling lanes and pedestrian areas.”