Cost of traffic to Nottingham businesses rises to more than £9m

The cost of traffic congestion to Nottingham businesses has increased by more than £946,000 in the past year, according to research conducted by TomTom.

Latest figures revealed as part of the TomTom Traffic Index reveal congestion is costing Nottingham businesses approximately £9,158,400 a year in lost productivity, up from £8,212,190 in last year’s study.

Traffic in Nottingham increases the time each vehicle spends on the road by an average of 120 hours a year (up from 119), which means an average commercial vehicle driver wastes more than 15 working days while sat in traffic.

This is part of a wider nationwide problem, says the report, with the cost to businesses in the UK’s 25 most congested cities and towns standing at £915,239,520. The traffic situation across the UK has been getting continuously worse over the past six years, with an average journey in 2016 taking 30%3 longer than it would in free-flowing conditions, up from a 25% delay in 2010.

“Traffic remains a serious issue for business and the resulting delays have potential implications for productivity, customer service standards and even employee wellbeing,” said Beverley Wise, director UK & Ireland for TomTom Telematics.

She added: “Unfortunately, congestion levels continue to rise and the UK economy is paying the price for this at a time when the landscape is already challenging enough, with the growth rate now expected to be just 1.5% this year.

“But, although solutions to the wider traffic problem are incredibly complex, businesses can take action now to mitigate its effect by using data to develop smarter working schedules and shift patterns that help employees avoid driving at peak times. Technology such as telematics can help in the move towards a more dynamic model of routing and scheduling that uses data on traffic and journey times to develop plans that minimise time on the road and can be quickly adapted in reaction to delays or changing circumstances.”

The biggest financial hit was felt in London, where £264m is lost to traffic each year, followed by Manchester (£169,256,880) and the Birmingham area, including Wolverhampton (£144,184,320).