New figures show that motorists in Cardiff spend 32 hours in traffic per year.
This comes from figures released by the agency Inrix after analysing the traffic patterns of thirty-eight countries around the world.
The worst place in Cardiff for congestion has also been named, which is the A48 W (Eastern Avenue) at Riverside Park.
Newport and Swansea have also ranked among the worst places in Wales for traffic congestion according to Inrix.
Inrix say a main reason for congestion is increased car mileage due to a growing population which means there are more cars on the road.
Chris Sutton, director of property investment firm JLL and a member of the Confederation of British Industry, says the size of Cardiff is another reason for the congestion.
He says, “Naturally a city of say three hundred and fifty thousand people, with a very significant population based outside in the Valleys, and with only one way to come in, is going to have a relatively high level of congestion.”
He added that the congestion in Cardiff in particular is down to rapid development.
“The city centre is outstripping public transport. Whilst we’ve got these great plans in place, like Metro, electrification and the M4 relief road, they won’t be around for some years to come and it’ll be a while yet till we get that in place. At the moment we’re seeing the growing pains of a city, which is a success story in terms of the Welsh economy, starting to be constrained by the infrastructure around it.”
In a statement, Cardiff City Council say “52% of car trips made in the Welsh Capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes. We also know that 28% of Cardiff residents that do not cycle would like to do so. When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than car during rush hours.”
