Birmingham’s worst roads for traffic and the exact time to avoid as queued drivers ‘lost 60 hours’

Birmingham has been named as the UK’s most congested city outside London – with drivers losing 60 hours of their lives to congestion last year. The study said the delay – from 55 hours in 2022 – cost each driver £547, while the cost to the city was estimated at £293m.

Travel data firm Inrix detailed Birmingham’s most congested roads in 2023 and said the average speed through the city center was 16mph as journeys showed signs of returning to pre-covid levels.

The busiest route in Birmingham is said to be the A34 Southbound from Camp Hill Circus to the A4040. There, at 3pm on weekdays, drivers were losing about eight minutes a day – the equivalent of 34 hours annually.

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Drivers traveling on Haden Circus and the busy Belgrave Interchange also faced similar delays, according to the data. Birmingham’s busiest routes, along with ‘peak hour’ traffic, minutes and hours lost, can be seen below:

A34 S: Camp Hill Circus to A4040

Peak time for traffic: 15:00

Peak minutes lost: 8 minutes

2023 hours lost: 34

A435 S Haden Circus to Taylor Road

Peak time for traffic: 15:00

2023 Peak minutes lost: 8 minutes

2023 hours lost: 33

A441 S Belgrave Interchange to Watford Road

Peak time for traffic: 15:00

2023 Peak minutes lost: 8 minutes

2023 hours lost: 32

According to the figures, drivers in London, Birmingham and Bristol experienced the worst traffic impact in the UK as congestion returned to pre-pandemic levels. Bob Pishue, transport analyst and author of the report, said: “We are seeing travel returning to pre-Covid levels. The UK and Europe have seen smaller increases in congestion this year than elsewhere in the world, indicating that these countries have found their new travel norms.

“While London remains the worst affected by congestion in the UK, its drop to a third suggests that other major cities worldwide have returned to pre-Covid levels of activity. As an indication of strong economic activity, increased congestion can be a positive sign for cities. “

Have you been affected by congestion on any of these routes? We’d love to hear your experiences. Contact us via email [email protected]