This is the result of a study by satellite navigation company TomTom, which analyzed traffic patterns in 387 cities in 55 countries in 2023.
TomTom’s data shows that in London last year, a three-kilometre journey on the city’s roads took an average of 24 minutes when using what the company calls “optimized travel time”. If the distance were doubled to six kilometers, the ideal time would be 49 minutes. During rush hour, this six-kilometer journey would take 88 minutes.
These times are probably slightly shorter if you’re on a motorcycle and can get through the traffic, but TomTom says you can expect an average speed of 24 km/h in central London.
London wasn’t the only city to perform badly in TomTom’s assessment. The Dutch company also found that Dublin was the “most congested city at peak times” in 2023, with daily users losing 153 hours to traffic in the Irish capital.