Swindon traffic delays at a record level

It comes as motorists across England encountered more congestion than ever on the strategic road network, which includes local and major 'A' roads and motorways, Swindon included. 

Department for Transport figures show drivers travelling on local 'A' roads in the town were delayed by 49 seconds per mile on average when compared to the pace they would have made if driving at the speed limit in free-flowing conditions.

This was up from 41 seconds per mile the year before, and the highest figure since comparable local records began in 2016.

In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic which saw traffic levels plummet, the average delay for motorists in the area was also 41 seconds per mile.

The A4289 Kingshill Road saw the greatest delays in Swindon at one minute and 15 seconds per mile.

Kingshill Road in Swindon (Image: Dave Cox)

This data covered eleven 'A' roads in the town and was not representative of the whole of the 522-mile Borough network. 

Nationally, drivers were held up by 48 seconds per mile on local 'A' roads making Swindon slightly above average.

The data also shows the average speed drivers travelled along local 'A' roads, with the national average falling to 23 miles per hour last year, the lowest figure since before the pandemic.

In Swindon, motorists averaged 22.2 mph – down from 23.8 in 2019.

A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: “As a council one of our priorities is to keep traffic moving in Swindon and we have taken positive steps with utility companies to ensure they only undertake work on our roads if it is absolutely necessary and that the appropriate traffic management is in place to minimise delays.

Kingshill Road in Swindon (Image: Newsquest)

“Although the headline data from the DfT can be portrayed negatively in terms of the average delay time having crept slightly above the national average, four of the 11 A roads they provided statistics for saw a fall in delay times.

“There are traffic hotspots in some parts of the town at peak periods, as there are across the country, but we have finished the bulk of major road improvements in the Borough and we would hope to see an improvement in these figures next year.”