Aberdeen named most congested city in Scotland

Drivers in the north east spent an average of 35 hours stuck in traffic last year

Published 20th Feb 2017

Aberdeen has been named Scotland's most congested city, with commuters spending an average of 35 hours in traffic last year.

The Granite eclipsed London for congestion at peak periods during 2016 as the hardest city to get into or out of, with drivers stuck in gridlock 24% of the time, moving at an average speed of 5.5mph.

Researchers at traffic information company Inrix calculated that the direct and indirect costs of hold-ups across the UK reached £31 billion last year, at an average of £968 per driver.

Inrix chief economist Graham Cookson said: "Despite Brexit, 2016 saw the UK economy remaining stable, fuel prices staying low and employment growing to an 11-year high, all of which incentivises road travel and helped increase congestion.

"The cost of this congestion is staggering, stripping the economy of billions, impacting businesses and costing consumers dearly.

"To tackle this problem, we must consider bold options such as remote working, wider use of road user charging and investment in big data to create more effective and intelligent transportation systems.''