SOME of the UK's worst traffic bottlenecks can be found on roads around Edinburgh and Glasgow, new research has found. 

Four of the biggest traffic snarl-ups occur on the Edinburgh bypass, while another recurring major jam was identified at the junction between the A8 and the M8 near the Braehead shopping centre.

The two cities were also identified among the most congested in the UK in the survey of the UK's roads by Inrix Roadway Analytics.

The firm studied traffic hotspots in 21 UK cities in September 2016, and 
assessed the impact of the congestion by looking at the average duration of traffic jams, their average length and the number of times they occurred.

It found that the jams could cost drivers in Scotland £5.1bn in wasted time over the next decade, while only London was ranked worse than Scotland's largest cities.

Inrix identified and ranked 20,375 busy zones in 21 cities. The research found that the impact of Edinburgh's 455 traffic hotspots was second only to London and was likely to cost drivers £2.8bn by 2025.

Glasgow was ranked third in the same list, worse than Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol, and its 357 hotspots were estimated to cost £2.3bn over the next 10 years.

Researchers calculated the time wasted by drivers in traffic jams across the UK could cost £61.8bn by 2025 if congestion levels are not reduced.

They found that the worst jam in Scotland was found on the A720 at Edinburgh, heading west at Dreghorn Barracks, where analysis showed that drivers face an average wait of 86 minutes for the road to clear, while the jam stretched for 5.4 miles.

Overall, traffic problems were recorded 101 times during the length of the survey.
Glasgow's main traffic hotspot was said to cost drivers 96 minutes of their day as they covered just 4.95 miles.

Their survey of 123 cities across Europe, London was found to have more traffic "pinch points" than any other city.

It also ranked worst in an assessment of the impact of its traffic jams. Rome was second and Paris was third.

The ranking was determined by an ‘Impact Factor’, which multiplied the average duration of a traffic jam with its average length and the number of times it occurred in September 20165. 

The cost to drivers due to time wasted in traffic at these hotspots was calculated using the Departments of Transport’s ‘value of time’ calculation. 

The service is designed to help road authorities, transport agencies, city planners and consultancies to reduce cost of daily operations, pinpoint areas that benefit most from road improvements and more accurately measure and report the impact of their investments.

Graham Cookson, Chief Economist at Inrix, said: “Only by identifying traffic hotspots and analysing their root causes can we effectively combat congestion.

“Some of the most effective traffic improvement measures have benefited from this approach, like traffic signal optimisation work, which is reducing delays by 13 percent and could save drivers £65m a year. 

"The government has taken a similar approach with its Autumn Statement pledge to spend £220m on reducing gridlock at key ‘pinch points’ on the UK’s strategic road network.”