How long are we stuck in Dublin gridlock? New survey may surprise you

I THINK most people would be pleasantly surprised to discover we spend a mere 49 hours a year in Dublin rush hour traffic.

The critical phrase, of course, is ‘rush hour’ — not commuting under reasonably normal conditions.

It is hard to know where one ends and the other begins these days, as anyone travelling the country will tell you.

But research in the UK and Ireland (specifically Dublin) by vehicle data experts HPI would seem to suggest things are not as bad with Dublin rush hour traffic as most of us would report.

The HPI survey of 1,000 drivers discovered that motorists in Edinburgh are spending 101 hours (four days and five hours) stuck in rush hour traffic every year.

Having recently sampled traffic in that otherwise lovely city, I’m not surprised. It is, the survey finds, 14 times worse than Newcastle, where drivers spend a mere seven hours. Hard to believe and frankly I have my doubts about how reflective of reality the figures really are.

Only 49 hours a year in gridlock in Dublin? Not so sure. Are you?

Just as background, the survey examined 16 major cities, working out both the average commute and the time spent in heavy traffic as well as the main reasons for delays.

I expected London to be the worst, but Edinburgh and Cardiff (two days and nine hours a year queuing during rush hour) beat them to it.

One interesting side-show of the research is how the data linked length of commute with age.

It found 55 to 64-year-olds face the longest commutes while 18 to 24-year-olds have less patience and presumably live closer to work in urban environments.

Naturally, traffic lights topped the list of “the most infuriating” reasons for delays, cited in 13 out of 16 major cities.

They were followed by roadworks and roundabouts.

Fernando Garcia, consumer marketing director at HPI Check, says: “When adding up the amount of time spent queueing, it is shocking to see how many days of our lives are wasted sat in traffic every year. What stood out to us was the consecutive trend between age group and length of commute, proving that it’s the older generation who are willing to put in those extra hours compared with less patient young adults.”

Mr Garcia continued: “With an increased employment rate meaning more workers travelling on the roads, combined with major congestion issues, it raises the issue of what can be enforced on our roads to ensure we are not spending valuable days of our lives every year stuck in lengthy queues.”

Let us know what you think. How long do you spend in gridlock each day? Contact me at ecunningham@independent.ie.