The cost of congestion for Brighton businesses

The TomTom Traffic Index has found traffic in the city increases the time each vehicle spends on the road by 129 hours a year – more than 16 working days.

This could equate to a cost of £9,334,4402 in time spent sitting in traffic for the 10,300 commercial vehicles operated in Brighton.

This is part of a wider problem across the UK, with the cost to businesses in the 25 most congested cities and towns standing at £767,937,250.

“Traffic congestion may be seen as a fact of life for every driver but, cumulatively, it is taking a heavy toll on the UK economy and this should not be accepted as an inevitability,” said Beverley Wise, Director UK & Ireland for TomTom Telematics.

“Making the most of billable time is key to profitability for any business, so organisations that rely heavily on a mobile workforce must look for ways to maximise the time employees spend actually doing jobs by minimising time spent on the road.

“Through smarter planning, routing and scheduling, companies can help their drivers to better avoid traffic, which could not only have an impact on productivity but also customer service. Previous research conducted by TomTom Telematics among UK van drivers found 90 per cent admit to arriving late for customer appointments – with 93 per cent citing traffic as the reason.”

The biggest financial hit was felt in London, where £237 million is lost to traffic each year, followed by Manchester (£157,729,390) and Birmingham (£81,364,800).