Southampton: Businesses waste time and money in traffic congestion
The cost of traffic congestion to Southampton businesses has increased by almost £798,000 in the past year, according to research conducted by TomTom.
Latest figures revealed as part of the TomTom Traffic Index reveal congestion is costing Southampton businesses approximately £10,361,520 a year in lost productivity, up from £9,563,580 in last year’s study.
Traffic in Southampton increases the time each vehicle spends on the road by an average of 117 hours a year, which means an average commercial vehicle driver wastes more than 14 working days while sat in traffic. In Portsmouth the average number of days lost is 13.
This is part of a wider nationwide problem, 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% 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. “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 £264 million is lost to traffic each year, followed by Manchester (£169.25m) and the Birmingham area, including Wolverhampton (£144.18m).
