Major route near Leamington has worst traffic hold-ups in county

For drivers, the worst part of the commute is when you get stuck in traffic.
Major hold-ups on roads around the county revealedMajor hold-ups on roads around the county revealed
Major hold-ups on roads around the county revealed

New Government data reveals the roads to avoid in Warwickshire to get to work on time, and whether delays are getting worse. The Department for Transport figures show that the A45 westbound between A423 and A46 near Coventry (east) had the slowest moving traffic among the major roads in Warwickshire in 2018.

Vehicles there travelled at an average of just 28.7mph – though this was a 3 per cent improvement on 2017, when speeds averaged 28mph.

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At the other end of the scale, vehicles sped along the M6 Toll southbound between T3 and T2 at an average of 77.8mph – making it the fastest section of road in the area.

The figures include measurements taken at 191 places on the strategic road network – major routes managed by Government-owned company Highways England – in Warwickshire.

They also show that the longest delays in the area were on the A45 westbound between A423 and A46 near Coventry (east), with drivers losing 69.5 seconds every mile when compared with the pace they would have made at the speed limit.

Across England, motorists suffered a 3.9 per cent increase in delays on motorways and major A roads last year. Journeys took an average of 9.4 seconds per mile longer than if vehicles were able to drive at the speed limit, according to the DfT, up from 9.0 seconds during the previous year.

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It suggests that driving along a 10-mile section of road with a 60mph limit typically took 11 minutes and 34 seconds last year, compared with 10 minutes in free flow conditions.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: "More congestion means more wasted time and money, which is clearly bad news for drivers, but it may be a case of short-term pain for longer term gain.

"Much work is being carried out on our motorways to improve capacity by upgrading them to smart motorways, but this inevitably causes delays. Nonetheless, extra capacity is badly needed as Britain now has around 38 million vehicles registered for use, and in the 10 years from 2007 more than four million extra vehicles came on to the road."

A DfT spokeswoman said: "This Government is determined to improve journeys for all motorists, which is why we're investing nearly £29 billion to reduce congestion on our roads up to 2025.

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"We are also investing £3.1 billion in local projects to make road travel smoother, while our £2.5 billion Transforming Cities Fund will develop innovative public transport schemes to further tackle congestion in some of England's biggest cities."