We hear subjective impressions about how traffic levels seem lower as the economy has gone into decline.
One early sign, months ago, for me, was what a rare sight concrete mixer trucks were becoming (hardly ever see any now).
But are there any actual statistics which show that general traffic levels have fallen?
Edited by Sofa Spud on 25/03/2009 at 12:09
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Official stats here:
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/recentpubs/recentpub...s
latest report:
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublicatio...8
The 2008 quarterly traffic provisional figures show a decrease of 1.4 per cent in overall traffic levels between the fourth quarters of 2007 and 2008.
Comparing the whole of 2008 with 2007, traffic is provisionally estimated to have decreased by 1.0 per cent.
The bulletin includes provisional traffic estimates broken down by vehicle type and road class. Key results include:
Between the fourth quarters of 2007 and 2008:
Car traffic decreased by 1 per cent.
Light van traffic increased by 1 per cent.
Heavy goods vehicle traffic decreased by 7 per cent.
Traffic on motorways decreased by 2 per cent.
Traffic on rural 'A' roads decreased by 3 per cent.
Traffic on urban 'A' roads increased by 1 per cent.
Traffic on rural minor roads decreased by 1 per cent.
Traffic on urban minor roads was unchanged.
Comparing the whole of 2008 with 2007:
Car traffic decreased by 1.7 per cent.
Light van traffic increased by 2.8 per cent.
Heavy goods vehicle traffic decreased by 2 per cent.
Traffic on motorways decreased by 0.7 per cent.
Traffic on rural 'A' roads decreased by 1.9 per cent.
Traffic on urban 'A' roads decreased by 1.1 per cent.
Traffic on rural minor roads increased by 0.5 per cent.
Traffic on urban minor roads decreased by 0.9 per cent.
These are provisional estimates. Final estimates will be published in Summer 2009, and are likely to differ slightly from the provisional figures.
Edited by jbif on 25/03/2009 at 12:22
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I've not got any firm statistics, but from my contact with numerous petrol station operators, I do know that fuel sales have dropped around 1/4 from 2006/7
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I've not got any firm statistics but from my contact with numerous petrol station operators I do know that fuel sales have dropped around 1/4 from 2006/7
Struggling to imagine that, and it's a long way from the official stats quoted earlier. Also there are fewer petrol stations now so even if everything was equal, you'd expect individual station volumes to be up. Certainly it's rare to be able to just drive to an unoccupied pump and fill up, there's generally always a bit a queue during the day.
Perhaps supermarkets petrol stations are dramatically increasing their share?
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On my daily 70 mile commute to work,which is mainly motorway and dual carriageway I started noticing a marked decrease in traffic last year. This seemed to coincide with the high fuel prices, and at the times I travel (6.30 am/5.30 pm)it doesn't seem to have increased as the prices have come down. I would guestimate traffic at those times is down at least 10-15% on my route.
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OOh, aaah, it's quiet out there today. No doubt people are short of the eight quid, or are saving it against a rainy day.
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My regular trip has been much the same as previous years. Busiest from November, crazy round Christmas and through January tailing off during February and this week it's really quiet. I suspect end of leave year on 31 March for thousands has something to do with this.
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Traffic on my commute is just as crap as ever. That said, the annual dig-up of the M3 has just recommenced, whereas this time last year it hadn't started, so the conditions are not ideal for comparison purposes.
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I was wondering why it has been a bit more quiet on the roads lately.
My journey takes anything from 30 - 60 minutes even though I am travelling away from London.
I keep getting in to work early for the past couple of weeks and I still leave home at the same time each day.
Its not half term holiday is it ?
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I started noticing a marked decrease in traffic last year.
I did around here (outskirts of Chester) too - traffic all but disappeared during the 2008 school summer holidays but never got back to its former levels when the schools returned. However, since Christmas, it's picked right back up again and is as busy as ever.
There's an easy measure here - at peak times traffic going into Chester is queued back to our village (about 4 miles out). When it's quiet you can drive in without any holdup.
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This week I drove from Carlisle to Sunderland and, for the first time in ages, I used the A69 all the way rather than the military road by Hadrian's Wall.
I was astounded that there were next to no commercial vehicles on this, usually busy, road. I was able to keep up the NSL for almost the whole route and did not need to overtake.
The lack of commercial vehicles on this road is a significant indicator of the downturn in trade in the North of England.
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Doc,
Haydon Bridge bypass opened today.
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Yea, I know. I like Haydon Bridge. I need to move out of my house in Sunderland for sad marital reasons and am seriously considering living there now it's back to being a quiet village once more.
The bypass makes the A69 a much better road but I love the military road for its views and lovely, long straight bits.
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I like the military road, too. Never much traffic and a chance to do some proper driving.
Needs to be treated with respect, particularly in the bad weather. Snow lies on it long after it's melted elsewhere.
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I might use that road tomorrow. I have to be in Durham in the morning and Berwick upon Tweed PM. I will then be returning to south Cheshire in the late afternoon early evening. Normally I would head straight down the A1M on to the M62 etc or dive across the A66 to Brough and down the M6. But....if it's a nice evening.....
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Humph,
I'll be at work in Durham, so if you fancy a cuppa....
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Great idea if time allows, which sadly it may not but if you feel like getting a contact number to me I promise I would at least try if the day is kind to me. I confess that most of my cuppas are drunk at something close to the nsl......
;-)
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I have been thinking for some time that the traffic on my longish (57mile) commute on the A43/M40 has not suffered as much congestion as normal. It seemed to get easier from Christmas onwards and even monday mornings, the traditional nightmare time for J9/J10 traffic is noticeably easier, particularly if I leave just a little bit earlier and beat the rush. I put it down to the credit crunch. Whilst I know a few of my generation who have lost their jobs, the friends of my two daughters (mid/late 20s) have been very badly hit.
MGs
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Intersting replies - thanks.
Because of the recession I'm not on my regular commute any more, I do what little bit of work there is mostly from home. Traffic does seem a bit less on the main roads.
Subjectively, locally (Bath / North Somerset area), traffic levels dropped during the last recession and the roads never seemed to get back to how busy they were in 1989.
That could be to do with improved alteranative routes attracting some of the traffic away
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... but if you feel like getting a contact number to me...
My thanks to mod PU for forwarding the details.
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One early sign months ago for me was what a rare sight concrete mixer trucks were becoming (hardly ever see any now).
There's a constant stream of concrete mixer trucks going in and out of Cemex Ltd at Louth.
Edited by L'escargot on 26/03/2009 at 06:52
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You get busy days for traffic and quiet ones. Sometimes this is explicable due to bank holidays or school holidays and so on, though it often seems random, but usually if a day starts busy it generally stays that way. On the other hand a quiet day usually remains quiet.
Today was unusual though. This morning the traffic on the motorway network in the NW and across to Yorkshire was strangely light. This afternoon it was chaos. Even allowing for Friday returners.
While stuck in some of it I began to muse that if fewer people went somewhere this morning then why did so many of them need to come back from somewhere they hadn't been ?........
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there was a very recent BBC article following a survey of congestion on the A14 which showed a 50% reduction in congestion ( a measure of vehicles travelling less than 30mh)
IME I travel Portsmouth-Durham almost weekly. Generally in last 6 months my journey has been less subject to hold ups and the amount of vehicles has reduced. However last Monday going N-S it was horrendous on M1 from Sheffield to Nottingham.
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