If the Christmas and New Year getaway for motorists seemed worse than ever, you are not imagining it: traffic on England’s main roads is officially slowing down.
In 2025, the average speed on motorways and A-roads is forecast to be 55mph, down from 59mph a decade ago.
That’s according to a report by accountancy giant PwC, which has predicted average vehicle speeds will fall by 6.8 per cent since 2015 due to increased congestion.
This projection is not just a problem for drivers but a headache for Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, which is concerned that traffic congestion is one of the factors holding back its main priority of economic growth.
Traffic congestion can impact the economy in several ways, including lost time and lower productivity in the workforce as well as increased travel costs, which can raise fees for businesses and retailers that are then passed onto households.
Ministers have already announced £1.6bn for councils to fill in potholes on local roads, but the Government also believes reduced congestion will boost the economy.
# Roadworks and online shopping fuel the slowdown
There was a slight average speed rise in 2020 when Covid lockdowns meant fewer cars and vans on the roads, with the figure rising to 60mph.
But the trend has fallen again as the rise in online shopping fuels demand for freight traffic, and more businesses swap largely diesel-fuelled HGVs for electric light goods vehicles which carry fewer packages in order to meet net zero goals, meaning there are more of them on the roads.
The overall slowing down since 2015 is also due to the increase in roadworks to create so-called “smart” motorways, although the previous Government shelved all new projects in 2023 due to financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in them following a number of accidents.
Motorways and major trunk roads in England make up less than 3 per cent of all roads but carry a third of the traffic.
Across the UK 1.55bn tonnes of goods were transported by road in 2023.
According to the AA, there are 41.7m vehicles of all types on the road now compared to 37.5m in 2015. Of this increase, 1.1m has been in vans and HGVs.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “They drive at slower speeds partly because they are carrying goods and they are also fitted with speed limiters, which caps speeds at 55-58mph. That is a big contributing factor.
“It is a mixed picture as to whether there is a wider economic outlay. 80 per cent of freight transport is by road – it is the lion’s share of how we get goods and services across the country.
“The reduction in speed would indicate… there is that knock-on effect on the impact on UK Plc’s bottom line.
“Online shopping will make a contribution to that [the numbers of LGVs/HGVs on roads], which would tend to point towards people voting with their wheels and moving towards home shopping.”
Slower main road speeds were not necessarily negative for motorists, Cousens said, highlighting how a drop in speed seemed to correlate with fewer fatalities.
Comparing the 6 to 7 per cent fall in speed, from 55mph to 59mph, there has been a similar 6 per cent decrease in fatalities over the same period, from 1,730 in 2015 to 1,624 in 2023 – although this downward trajectory has not been consistent year-on-year.
Between 2015 and 2023 there was a significant increase in the number of roadworks on the main network to install “smart” motorways, which were designed to increase traffic flow by using the hard shoulder.
If you go away for Christmas or new years in this country you need a car. In America people fly across the country to get home, in Europe you can get a train.
But we have been so underfunded since 2008 with so few infrastructure investments that it is going to really catch up with us.
Roadworks, average speed cameras everywhere, bigger population. This isn’t surprising at all. Fun has been sucked out of driving in this country!
I travelled from the South West to Yorkshire before Xmas.
There was no problem with the traffic, the problem was the sheer mileage of 50mph average speed zones on the motorways.
Over a quarter of the journey in fact – perhaps I’m missing it in the article but surely this is part of the problem.
Why 18 miles of roadworks on the M1 with lane closures and 50mph limit? No-one is ever doing anything anyway. Why not do one section and then move on to the next? I’ve just been to Florida and drove hundreds of miles and there were no road closures or roadworks. How can the Yanks do it?Our way of road project management is patently wrong-headed. Teresa May actually put in her manifesto there would be no roadworks more than two miles, which was never implemented? Big donations from major infrastructure providers no doubt put the kibosh on that. Common sense could increase road speed.
Not just the main roads. Round here (Wirral) it’s impossible to go on even a short journey without encountering road works by various contractors. Usually with the dreaded three or four-way control traffic lights so that you’re waiting an eternity. Turns 10 minute journeys into very frustrating 20 or 25 minute ones.
6 comments
If the Christmas and New Year getaway for motorists seemed worse than ever, you are not imagining it: traffic on England’s main roads is officially slowing down.
In 2025, the average speed on motorways and A-roads is forecast to be 55mph, down from 59mph a decade ago.
That’s according to a report by accountancy giant PwC, which has predicted average vehicle speeds will fall by 6.8 per cent since 2015 due to increased congestion.
This projection is not just a problem for drivers but a headache for Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, which is concerned that traffic congestion is one of the factors holding back its main priority of economic growth.
Traffic congestion can impact the economy in several ways, including lost time and lower productivity in the workforce as well as increased travel costs, which can raise fees for businesses and retailers that are then passed onto households.
Ministers have already announced £1.6bn for councils to fill in potholes on local roads, but the Government also believes reduced congestion will boost the economy.
# Roadworks and online shopping fuel the slowdown
There was a slight average speed rise in 2020 when Covid lockdowns meant fewer cars and vans on the roads, with the figure rising to 60mph.
But the trend has fallen again as the rise in online shopping fuels demand for freight traffic, and more businesses swap largely diesel-fuelled HGVs for electric light goods vehicles which carry fewer packages in order to meet net zero goals, meaning there are more of them on the roads.
The overall slowing down since 2015 is also due to the increase in roadworks to create so-called “smart” motorways, although the previous Government shelved all new projects in 2023 due to financial pressures and a lack of public confidence in them following a number of accidents.
Motorways and major trunk roads in England make up less than 3 per cent of all roads but carry a third of the traffic.
Across the UK 1.55bn tonnes of goods were transported by road in 2023.
According to the AA, there are 41.7m vehicles of all types on the road now compared to 37.5m in 2015. Of this increase, 1.1m has been in vans and HGVs.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “They drive at slower speeds partly because they are carrying goods and they are also fitted with speed limiters, which caps speeds at 55-58mph. That is a big contributing factor.
“It is a mixed picture as to whether there is a wider economic outlay. 80 per cent of freight transport is by road – it is the lion’s share of how we get goods and services across the country.
“The reduction in speed would indicate… there is that knock-on effect on the impact on UK Plc’s bottom line.
“Online shopping will make a contribution to that [the numbers of LGVs/HGVs on roads], which would tend to point towards people voting with their wheels and moving towards home shopping.”
Slower main road speeds were not necessarily negative for motorists, Cousens said, highlighting how a drop in speed seemed to correlate with fewer fatalities.
Comparing the 6 to 7 per cent fall in speed, from 55mph to 59mph, there has been a similar 6 per cent decrease in fatalities over the same period, from 1,730 in 2015 to 1,624 in 2023 – although this downward trajectory has not been consistent year-on-year.
Between 2015 and 2023 there was a significant increase in the number of roadworks on the main network to install “smart” motorways, which were designed to increase traffic flow by using the hard shoulder.
If you go away for Christmas or new years in this country you need a car. In America people fly across the country to get home, in Europe you can get a train.
But we have been so underfunded since 2008 with so few infrastructure investments that it is going to really catch up with us.
Roadworks, average speed cameras everywhere, bigger population. This isn’t surprising at all. Fun has been sucked out of driving in this country!
I travelled from the South West to Yorkshire before Xmas.
There was no problem with the traffic, the problem was the sheer mileage of 50mph average speed zones on the motorways.
Over a quarter of the journey in fact – perhaps I’m missing it in the article but surely this is part of the problem.
Why 18 miles of roadworks on the M1 with lane closures and 50mph limit? No-one is ever doing anything anyway. Why not do one section and then move on to the next? I’ve just been to Florida and drove hundreds of miles and there were no road closures or roadworks. How can the Yanks do it?Our way of road project management is patently wrong-headed. Teresa May actually put in her manifesto there would be no roadworks more than two miles, which was never implemented? Big donations from major infrastructure providers no doubt put the kibosh on that. Common sense could increase road speed.
Not just the main roads. Round here (Wirral) it’s impossible to go on even a short journey without encountering road works by various contractors. Usually with the dreaded three or four-way control traffic lights so that you’re waiting an eternity. Turns 10 minute journeys into very frustrating 20 or 25 minute ones.
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