It's Busy In Birmingham

Traffic jam

A survey has found Birmingham is the worst city in Britain for commuting.

Workers in and around the second city spend more than an hour a day travelling to and from work as they negotiate its complex network of roads – including Spaghetti Junction.

They face a lengthly commute despite inititives such as opening up the hard shoulder to rush-hour traffic on the M42 south of the city.

Worst Places

1.Birmingham (61 minutes)

2. Edinburgh (55)

3. London (52)

4. Oxford (51)

5. Portsmouth (49)

Birmingham’s journey time reflects its importance as a major business hub and equates to over five hours a week commuting – or most of one working day.

Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh came in second place for the time spent getting to and from work, with commuters spending an average of 55 minutes doing so.

Surprisingly, London didn’t come in until third. With its extensive tube network, Londoners can expect a typical journey to work to take just over 52 minutes, with Oxford coming in fourth.

Best Places

1. Plymouth (30 minutes)

2. Swansea (32)

3. Southampton (36)

4. Liverpool (38)

5. Norwich (41)

However, people living in the south-west city of Plymouth faced the shortest journey according to a poll of 3,000 people, spending a paltry 30 minutes getting to and from their job.

With workers spending so many hours commuting it's critical to understand that journey times can be shortened or improved by choosing the right route and time of day to travel.

Business is said to be suffering in the big inner cities as a result of the congestion problems in the UK with employers losing staff time in the busiest areas.

How long does it take you to get to work? Do you live in any of the cities featured? Is the survey a fair reflection on congestion in your area?

Let us know by leaving a comment in the box below. Alternatively, share your thoughts with other readers in the 50connect forums.

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