Cuts to speed limits blamed as London's roads found to be slowest of any capital city in the world

"Low average speeds in London are often interpreted as extreme congestion but that misses the full picture."

"Average speeds are heavily shaped by static factors such as the widespread 20mph limits, street design that doesn't match today's needs, and consistently high traffic volumes, which means journeys can be slow even when roads are flowing."

"Congestion still matter but in London it adds delay on top of an already constrained baseline rather than being the only cause of slow travel."

Extensive 20mph speed limits and street design have made London the slowest capital city to drive in 2025. Driving one kilometre in central London averaged three minutes and 38 seconds. Only Barranquilla among 492 studied towns or cities recorded slower average speeds. Average speeds reflect static factors such as widespread 20mph limits, misaligned street design, and high traffic volumes, producing slow journeys even when traffic is flowing. Congestion adds further delay on top of an already constrained baseline. London ranked eighth most congested in the UK by additional travel time, and drivers lost an average of 141 hours in rush-hour traffic in 2025. Trials of autonomous vehicles are being rolled out across 20 London boroughs.

Read at www.standard.co.uk