LONDON ROAD CONGESTION – TFL Evidence - Analysis + Data
Request ID: FOI-3727-2324 Date published: 09 February 2024
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
On 10 Jan 2024, the BBC reported: “London is world's slowest city for drivers, study finds”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67916773
“Journeys of 10km (6.2 miles) in central London took an average of 37 minutes and 20 seconds last year, according to location technology company TomTom.
“This was the longest time among the 387 cities in 55 countries analysed.”
As part of the story, the BBC report that:
“Transport for London (TfL) lowered speed limits to 20mph on a further 65km (40.4 miles) of roads in the south of the capital during the final four months of last year.”
“When the measure was announced in September, the transport body said it would bring the total length of roads with a 20mph limit to 140km (87 miles), making them "safer for everyone".”
“In October last year, the government published a Plan for Drivers which included an intention to curb the use of those limits.
“It stated: "We will make it clear that 20mph speed limits in England must be used appropriately where people want them - not as unwarranted blanket measures."”
Q0 – What evidence has TFL that people in London generally “want” these widespread 20mph speed limits on so many key main roads in London?
Q0.1 - How were their wishes assessed?
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The BBC report that: “Mr Khan's spokesperson said: “Roadworks are the biggest cause of congestion in cities”.”
Q1 - Sadiq Khan is Chairman of Transport for London.
When he or his spokesman make claims on traffic and congestion, are they speaking on behalf of TFL?
Q2 - Please confirm how TFL defines and measures congestion on London roads.
Q3 - Does this apply to all roads, or to a subset of the roads in London, for example the TLRN?
Please provide full details.
Q4 - Please confirm what data TFL has on congestion on roads in London, and how this has varied over the years – presumably TFL has collected data since at least its creation in 2000 – please explain?
Q5 - Please confirm what evidence TFL has, and what analysis it has conducted on the causes of congestion on roads in London.
-
Q6 – The BBC story suggests that TFL’s policy of expanding 20mph speed limits on main roads has made travel slower and congestion worse.
Does TFL have any evidence, analysis or data that supports or contradicts this claim?
Please supply this.
-
The BBC report that “TfL's director of network management and resilience Carl Eddleston said: "We disagree with this analysis of road speeds and believe it is not representative of London as a whole.
"This report only looks at data collected up to 5km from the centre, regardless of the city's overall size and density, which means that fair comparisons with other cities cannot be made."”
Q7 – Why does TFL’s spokesman refer to 5km, when the Report refers to 10km?
Q7.1 – How does TFL suggest a fair comparison between cities across Britain and the world could be made?
Q8 – Does a 10km (6.2 mile) circle from Trafalgar Square very roughly match the area of Inner London?
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This link shows that leaving Trafalgar Square at 0310, in one hour going south towards Croydon, only 10 miles are possible driving.
https://app.traveltime.com/search/0-lng=-0.12889&0-tt=60&0-mode=driving&0-time=d1705547441082&0-title=The%20Admiralty%2C%2066%2C%20Trafalgar%20Square%2C%20Seven%20Dials%2C%20Covent%20Garden%2C%20London%2C%20Greater%20London%2C%20England%2C%20WC2N%205DS%2C%20United%20Kingdom&0-lat=51.50727
The obvious explanation for an average speed of just 10mph in the middle of the night is that the speed limit is 20mph almost the whole way, and there are lots of red traffic signals.
Q9 – Does TFL agree that low 20mph speed limits – a speed commonly run playing football - and lots of poorly set traffic signals are each a major cause of congestion in London?
If it does not, please explain why.
-
It is suggested that one major cause of congestion on the roads in London is lack of investment in increasing traffic capacity and traffic flow.
Using this app, one can choose any start point around Britain, and many around the world.
London is clearly much the worst place in Britain for slow road journeys.
As soon as you escape from London, the picture totally changes.
For example, starting from Watford on the edge of London at 1310, distances of 30-50 miles are possible in one hour in every direction except towards London where it less than 20 miles – and the M1 goes a major part of the way from Watford towards London.
https://app.traveltime.com/search/0-lng=-0.39574&0-tt=60&0-mode=driving&0-time=d1705547441082&0-title=Watford%2C%20Hertfordshire%2C%20England%2C%20United%20Kingdom&0-lat=51.65539
Clearly London is a place to avoid – indeed it is often quicker to drive 40 miles out to the M25 and back in than drive the direct 20 miles in London – consider Kidbrook to Purley.
-
Looking at many cities around the world, the same picture emerges.
London is very slow and congested, and much worse than most developed cities world-wide.
Many cities around Britain and abroad have improved the capacity of their road network, and improved traffic flow on that network.
Q10 – What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic capacity on roads in London?
Q11 - What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic flow on roads in London?
In each case, please provide the 10 best actual examples of schemes, with dates, costs and benefits, or if that is not possible, provide 10 good examples.
-
Q12 – Following this report, what plans does TFL have for future increases in traffic capacity and traffic flow on roads in London?
-
Q13 – What is TFL’s assessment of the impact of traffic congestion on London’s economy – direct cost and consequential cost – for example where business goes elsewhere due to London’s slow and congested road network?
Q14 – Same question for those living in, working in, or visiting London?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3727-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 18th January 2024 asking for information about London road congestion.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“On 10 Jan 2024, the BBC reported: “London is world's slowest city for drivers, study finds”.
“Journeys of 10km (6.2 miles) in central London took an average of 37 minutes and 20 seconds last year, according to location technology company TomTom. “This was the longest time among the 387 cities in 55 countries analysed.”
As part of the story, the BBC report that: “Transport for London (TfL) lowered speed limits to 20mph on a further 65km (40.4 miles) of roads in the south of the capital during the final four months of last year.”
“When the measure was announced in September, the transport body said it would bring the total length of roads with a 20mph limit to 140km (87 miles), making them "safer for everyone".”
“In October last year, the government published a Plan for Drivers which included an intention to curb the use of those limits.
“It stated: "We will make it clear that 20mph speed limits in England must be used appropriately where people want them - not as unwarranted blanket measures."”
Q0 – What evidence has TFL that people in London generally “want” these widespread 20mph speed limits on so many key main roads in London?
Q0.1 - How were their wishes assessed?
- The BBC report that: “Mr Khan's spokesperson said: “Roadworks are the biggest cause of congestion in cities”.”
Q1 - Sadiq Khan is Chairman of Transport for London. When he or his spokesman make claims on traffic and congestion, are they speaking on behalf of TFL?
Q2 - Please confirm how TFL defines and measures congestion on London roads.
Q3 - Does this apply to all roads, or to a subset of the roads in London, for example the TLRN? Please provide full details.
Q4 - Please confirm what data TFL has on congestion on roads in London, and how this has varied over the years – presumably TFL has collected data since at least its creation in 2000 – please explain?
Q5 - Please confirm what evidence TFL has, and what analysis it has conducted on the causes of congestion on roads in London.
- Q6 – The BBC story suggests that TFL’s policy of expanding 20mph speed limits on main roads has made travel slower and congestion worse.
Does TFL have any evidence, analysis or data that supports or contradicts this claim? Please supply this.
- The BBC report that “TfL's director of network management and resilience Carl Eddleston said: "We disagree with this analysis of road speeds and believe it is not representative of London as a whole.
"This report only looks at data collected up to 5km from the centre, regardless of the city's overall size and density, which means that fair comparisons with other cities cannot be made."”
Q7 – Why does TFL’s spokesman refer to 5km, when the Report refers to 10km? Q7.1 – How does TFL suggest a fair comparison between cities across Britain and the world could be made?
Q8 – Does a 10km (6.2 mile) circle from Trafalgar Square very roughly match the area of Inner London?
- This link shows that leaving Trafalgar Square at 0310, in one hour going south towards Croydon, only 10 miles are possible driving.
The obvious explanation for an average speed of just 10mph in the middle of the night is that the speed limit is 20mph almost the whole way, and there are lots of red traffic signals.
Q9 – Does TFL agree that low 20mph speed limits – a speed commonly run playing football - and lots of poorly set traffic signals are each a major cause of congestion in London?
If it does not, please explain why.
- It is suggested that one major cause of congestion on the roads in London is lack of investment in increasing traffic capacity and traffic flow.
Using this app, one can choose any start point around Britain, and many around the world.
London is clearly much the worst place in Britain for slow road journeys.
As soon as you escape from London, the picture totally changes. For example, starting from Watford on the edge of London at 1310, distances of 30-50 miles are possible in one hour in every direction except towards London where it less than 20 miles – and the M1 goes a major part of the way from Watford towards London.
Clearly London is a place to avoid – indeed it is often quicker to drive 40 miles out to the M25 and back in than drive the direct 20 miles in London – consider Kidbrook to Purley.
- Looking at many cities around the world, the same picture emerges.
London is very slow and congested, and much worse than most developed cities world-wide.
Many cities around Britain and abroad have improved the capacity of their road network, and improved traffic flow on that network.
Q10 – What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic capacity on roads in London?
Q11 - What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic flow on roads in London?
In each case, please provide the 10 best actual examples of schemes, with dates, costs and benefits, or if that is not possible, provide 10 good examples.
- Q12 – Following this report, what plans does TFL have for future increases in traffic capacity and traffic flow on roads in London?
- Q13 – What is TFL’s assessment of the impact of traffic congestion on London’s economy – direct cost and consequential cost – for example where business goes elsewhere due to London’s slow and congested road network?
Q14 – Same question for those living in, working in, or visiting London?”
I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. However, I am afraid that it is not possible to source the information to answer all of your questions within the costs limit for responding to FOI cases, as set out under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12, TfL is not required to provide information if it would cost more than £450 to determine if that information is held, and to then locate, retrieve or extract it from elsewhere. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour, equivalent to 18 hours work.
In this case the exemption applies because of the number of questions you have asked and the broad scope and timeframe of many of them. As an example, your questions 10 (What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic capacity on roads in London”) and 11 (What steps has TFL taken over the past 25 years to increase traffic flow on roads in London?”) ask for information spanning a 25-year period. Such information would cover a vast range of projects which would be held across multiple teams and in multiple formats, including very probably material that has been archived. Just determining exactly what is held in regard to these questions alone, notwithstanding the need to then find that information, would be an excessively time consuming task and would in itself invoke the costs limit.
In order to bring your request within the costs limit you may wish to reframe it to narrow its scope, focussing on the information that is of most importance to you. Before doing so I would advise that you review the information that can already be found on our website. For example, we have published regular Travel in London reports going back to 2005, which summarise trends and developments in travel and transport in Greater London. Copies can be found on our website here:
I would also suggest that in reframing your request you first review the advice and assistance on how to best access information from public bodies, published by the Information Commissioner here:
Note that only requests for specific, recorded information are captured by the Freedom of Information Act. It does not cover more general questions nor requests for explanation or opinion.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
