Major UK city declared 'slowest' in the world after 20mph speed limits

13 January 2024 , 11:11

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Speed limits of 20mph are found everywhere in London, making it the world’s slowest city centre for drivers. (Image: Getty Images)

Speed limits of 20mph are found everywhere in London, making it the world’s slowest city centre for drivers.

According to location technology company, journeys of 6.2 miles in the capital took an average of 37 minutes and 20 seconds last year. This was one minute more than in 2022, and the longest among 387 cities in 55 countries.

It means London is crowned the slowest city for the second year in a row. After that, Dublin made the list; 6.2-mile trips taking 29 minutes and 30 seconds.

It was followed by Toronto, (29m); Milan, (28m, 50s); and Lima, Peru (28m, 30s). In the UK, Manchester was ranked second (23m, 30s), followed by Liverpool (22m, 50s), Bristol (22m, 40s) and Edinburgh (21m, 30s).

Stephanie Leonard, of TomTom, said London had the world’s third highest petrol prices. She added: “Avoiding peak hours could save Londoners up to £187 per year on fuel costs."

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It comes as drivers in Wales are still dealing with the country-wide default speed limits of just 20mph on residential roads, a move blasted as "pointless" by some drivers back when it first came into practice in September. The controversial scheme officially came into effect in the early hours of September 17, with most roads that were 30mph seeing their limits slashed by 10mph.

London is the slowest city in the world for drivers (In Pictures via Getty Images)

The Welsh Government claims cutting the limit will protect lives and save the Welsh NHS £92million a year. But critics warn it will harm the country’s economy and deter investment.

According to the RAF, drivers should not rely on sat navs for speed limit guidance but obey road signs. Motorists caught driving over 20mph but under 30mph will initially receive advice from police rather than face a ticket, a minister said.

Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters said: “Very much the intention initially is to educate and to speak to people and not to fine, but over 30mph we will be fining and issuing points.”

Early reactions to the rules were mixed, with some furious, but others more amicable to the lower speed limits. One person said: "Just been out in Abergele, it appeared that most were sensibly following the 20mph. It felt safe and actually quite refreshing. Maybe slower is much better for safety and our well-being as individuals."

But not everyone was as onboard, and one driver reported being honked and shouted at for sticking to the new speed limit. Another claimed with no proof that it was "totally pointless policy-simply enforcing the 30mph limit correctly would have worked far better and cost nothing".

Zesha Saleem