Greater Manchester named worst region in country for delays - with two A-roads ranked busiest for drivers

New research has revealed that drivers in Greater Manchester experience the worst delays of motorists anywhere in the country. The study shows the region has the slowest A-roads in England with two stretches coming out particularly badly - the A6043 in Ashton and the A5067 Stretford Road. 

The research, led by Go.Compare car insurance, reviewed the latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures covering the average road delays on local A-roads and the strategic road network for each combined authority across England. The estimated average mileage for both road types was then applied to the average delay to find how much time was lost in each area within 12 months.

According to figures from the DfT, the A6043 - which includes Ashton Retail Park, Ashton train station, Clarendon Sixth Form College and leads up to IKEA - experiences average delays of 120.8 seconds per vehicle mile. Meanwhile, Stretford Road, which links Old Trafford with the A6, is the road with the most hold-ups in Manchester itself, and was delayed by 112.8 seconds per vehicle mile.

Overall, drivers using the area’s local A-roads and motorways experience over 46 hours worth of delays in a year - almost two days. This is equivalent to 2,767 minutes or 166,000 seconds.

Alice Simpson, breakdown spokesperson at the RAC, attributes road delays to high volumes of traffic, saying: “While we’re pleased National Highways has removed the majority of roadworks from high-speed roads, which are often the busiest routes, the sheer number of drivers means there’s an increased risk of breakdowns which can, in turn, lead to delays.”

In contrast, drivers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough enjoyed some of the smoothest trips in the country, as there were fewer A-road delays in this area than in any other combined authority. Motorists here experienced 17.4 hours worth of delays across the year. This is over a full day less than the A-road delays suffered in Greater Manchester. 

Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, says: “It’s worth noting that there’s a possibility that living in an area with higher levels of traffic could indirectly impact your car insurance premiums. The areas with the heaviest traffic happen to be situated in the UK’s most expensive regions for car insurance outside of London, which may be because accidents are more common in traffic.

“However, lots of other factors, such as crime rates and where you’re likely to park are known to influence premiums, both of which can vary based on location. So, if you notice an increase when moving to a new area, it’s much more likely that these are the cause rather than the traffic in the region.”