FRUSTRATED drivers on England’s roads crawl along at a snail’s pace of just fifteen miles per hour, latest figures show.
Congestion, 20mph speed limits and roadworks all slow down the average journey.
Researchers found that motorists in Brighton move most sluggishly, averaging a glacial 13mph.
In the analysis of the average speeds on A roads from 2019 to 2023, Reading was second slowest at 13.6mph, with Nottingham third on 13.8mph.
Southampton was the fourth slowest with an average of 14.3mph and Slough was fifth on 14.9mph.
Manchester, Bristol, Plymouth, Liverpool and Kingston upon Hull all ranked on the slow driving list.
The average speed would be even lower, but London was not included in the figures as it would “skew the findings”.
In October last year, the previous government announced it wanted to curb the use of 20mph speed limits nationwide amid campaigners’ pleas.
A Plan for Drivers was published, which stated: “20mph speed limits in England must be used appropriately — not as unwarranted blanket measures.”
Wales had earlier become the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads.
But many motorists argue it has led to traffic chaos.
The data from the National Highways National Traffic Information Service was analysed by car part website Ovoko.
It said: “It is clear that driving on the speed limit, particularly in major cities, is challenging.
“Many urban areas are beginning to enforce 20mph speed limits on all roads for safety reasons.
“But most are moving around our cities at just 15mph.”
