Data from TomTom shows that traffic across many UK cities exceeded 2019 levels yesterday (12 April) as further steps to ease restrictions were made across the UK.
With hairdressers, hospitality, leisure facilities and non-essential retail making a return, Tom Tom’s Traffic Index data shows that for long periods throughout the day traffic volumes exceeded those of 2020 and 2019 figures.
Tom Tom data from Birmingham-Wolverhampton; Bristol; and London showed a significant uplift in traffic congestion between the hours of 9am to 4pm – where levels were up by as much as 27%.
From 9am to 4pm, Birmingham-Wolverhampton traffic congestion was up, peaking at 20% up on the 2020 average and 13% up on 2019 figures at 3pm. Between 9am and 3pm, figures for Bristol were up by as much as 27% on 2020 figures and 22% on 2019 at 1pm. In London, between the hours of 10am to 3pm traffic congestion was up and reached a peak of 11% above the average 2020 levels and five per cent up on 2019 volumes at 1pm.
‘Rush hour’ (historically peaks at 8am and 5pm) traffic congestion was varied. At 8am figures across the three cities remained up to 10% down on 2020 levels and well below 2019 figures.
The evening rush hour saw levels up on 2020 figures, although Bristol and London were still down on 2019 volumes. Birmingham-Wolverhampton was the exception to the rule, with evening rush hour traffic one per cent up on 2019 figures.
