How much time traffic delays cost drivers in Calderdale has been revealed

Drivers are held up a minute for every two miles they cover in Calderdale – but they are still some of the shortest delays in England.
How much time traffic delays cost drivers in Calderdale has been revealedHow much time traffic delays cost drivers in Calderdale has been revealed
How much time traffic delays cost drivers in Calderdale has been revealed

As figures are released showing the length of delays across the country, the Local Government Association has called for more funding and greater powers to reduce road congestion.

Cars and vans were delayed by an average of 53.8 seconds every mile along Calderdale's A-roads last year, according to data from the Department for Transport.

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It meant that each driver wasted 3.8 per cent more time than during the previous year.

This was a longer hold-up than the national average, 47.3 seconds per mile.

LGA transport spokesman Martin Tett said there had been "underinvestment" in local roads.

He added: "It would already take £9.8 billion and over 10 years for councils to clear the current local road repairs backlog.

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"Councils also need extra funding to plug the £650 million gap in concessionary fares payments councils get from the Government.

"Having to fill this gap means less support for bus services which relieve congestion."

Local authorities should have powers to challenge moving traffic violations, he added.

Between 2015 and 2018, the waiting time faced by each driver in Calderdale rose from 49.9 to 53.8 seconds for every mile travelled.

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That's an increase of 7.8 per cent, compared to 6.6% in Yorkshire and the Humber and 6.1 per cent nationwide.

Across England, drivers lingered the longest in the City of London, where the average hold-up last year was nearly five minutes for every mile.

Rutland, in the East Midlands, had the shortest waiting time, at only 12.4 seconds per mile.

According to the figures, the worst time to hit the road across England is on weekdays between 4pm and 7pm.

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Over the 12 months ending March 2019, the period with the latest statistics available, the average speed for vehicles travelling during the end-of-workday rush was 22.2 miles per hour.

This was slower than the busy morning commute – 23.6mph – and the middle of the day lull between peak times.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said the Government is spending more than £50bn to reduce congestion.

She added: "We also recognise the valuable role played by other modes of transport in reducing congestion – modernising our railways through a record £48 billion investment, tripling cycling and walking investment per head since 2010, and investing £2.5 billion through the Transforming Cities Fund to develop innovative public transport schemes in some of England's biggest cities."