National statistics

TSGB 2011: Roads and traffic

This chapter of Transport Statistics Great Britain presents statistics on road traffic, traffic forecasts, road lengths, vehicle speeds, congestion and road taxation revenue.

From:
Department for Transport
Published
15 December 2011

Documents

Roads and traffic

PDF, 49.3 KB

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Roads and traffic and XLS tables

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Roads and traffic CSV tables

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Roads and traffic: notes and definitions

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Details

This chapter of Transport Statistics Great Britain presents statistics on road traffic, traffic forecasts, road lengths, vehicle speeds, congestion and road taxation revenue.

Key points

  • In 2010, the overall motor vehicle traffic volume in Great Britain was 1.6% lower than in 2009, at 308.1 billion vehicle miles.
  • Motor vehicle traffic has fallen for three consecutive years for the first time since records began in 1949. However, traffic levels in 2010 were 6.2 per cent higher than in 2000.
  • In 2010, motorways and ‘A’ roads accounted for 0.9% and 11.8% respectively of total road length in Great Britain. In contrast, 19.8% of all motor vehicle traffic was on motorways and 44.3% on ‘A’ roads.
  • 49% of cars on motorways were travelling at a speed that exceeded the 70 mph limit.
  • The average speed achieved on local authority managed ‘A’ roads during the morning peak in 2010/11 was 25.1 mph.
  • In 2010/11, nearly £5.8 billion was raised through vehicle excise duty (VED), and about £27.3 billion was raised through fuel tax.

Technical information

Information on road traffic statistics, including the pre-release access list and related technical documentation can be found on the road traffic statistics page.

Contact us

Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics

Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

Published 15 December 2011

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