Edinburgh drivers lose more than five days a year to rush-hour traffic

Edinburgh has been named the Scottish city where drivers lose the most time to rush-hour traffic, according to a new study.

placeholder image — Edinburgh drivers lose more than five days a year to rush-hour traffic | Source: Unsplash

Research conducted by FLBR Motorsport found that motorists in Edinburgh lose an estimated 127 hours during peak-time journeys each year, placing the city second out of 34 UK locations analysed.

That is equivalent to five days and seven hours, or almost 16 eight-hour working days.

Only London ranks higher, with drivers in the capital losing 141 hours annually, 14 hours more than those in Edinburgh.

Manchester follows just behind Edinburgh in third place at 126 hours, while Cambridge ranks fourth with 122 hours.

Edinburgh performs considerably worse for rush-hour delays than every other Scottish city included in the study.

Drivers in Glasgow lose 86 hours annually, 41 hours fewer than those in Edinburgh. Aberdeen records 83 hours, while Dundee stands at 58 hours.

The gap is even greater compared with Inverness, where motorists lose 52 hours a year. This means Edinburgh drivers lose an additional 75 hours to peak-time traffic.

Edinburgh also ranks above major English cities including Bristol and Leicester, where motorists lose 118 hours annually, as well as Liverpool at 99 hours and Birmingham at 97 hours.

At the other end of the national ranking, Middlesbrough records the lowest figure at 40 hours, followed by Inverness at 52 hours. Portsmouth and Dundee each record 58 hours.

The study compared 34 UK cities using the estimated amount of additional time motorists lose during rush-hour journeys over a year. The findings reveal a difference of 87 hours between Edinburgh and the lowest-ranked city.