UK roads are the most congested in Europe with no less than four of our cities appearing in the top 13 busiest urban areas.
Based on a survey by Tom Tom which monitored speeds across European towns and cities,we are sad to report that London appeared in fourth place, Edinburgh in fifth place and Birmingham in 13th.
The UK is the only European country to have more than two cities in the top 13 and there is little consolation that Brussels came first in this depressing list.
Whilst motorists fume in our grid-locked cities it is almost impossible to calculate the real cost to both the individual and the wider economy. To add to the embarrassment, RAC Director, Professor Stephen Glaister said roadworks were one of the main causes of congestion in our cities, with an estimated 370,000 of them in London alone in 2009.
Motorists already know that the excessive time schedules given for road repairs is the big problem here. We have all driven past endless cones and sat behind achingly slow temporary traffic lights only to see minimal man-power working minimal hours. Surely it is obvious that the cost of any delays far outweighs the cost of having sufficient workers to get these roadworks finished sooner?
In a list of 50 most congested European towns and cities, Cardiff came in at number 26, Sheffield at 34 and Glasgow at number 45.
Whilst the UK dominated the charts, Germany did not have a single town or city higher than 28th (Munich).
If Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart can keep the traffic moving I am sure we can, provided we concentrate on the real cost of these road works as opposed to the short-term costs of having the cheapest labour costs.