Road Traffic Estimates in Great Britain, 2022: Headline Statistics
Published 13 July 2023
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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About this release
This release presents the headline figures from the 2022 annual estimates of traffic on Great Britain’s roads.
Please see the companion releases for a breakdown by vehicle type, a breakdown by road type, a breakdown for England’s road networks.
Annual traffic statistics are compiled using data from around 8,000 roadside 12-hour manual counts, continuous data from automatic traffic counters, and data on road lengths. Please see our methodology note for more details.
The next annual traffic statistics release is expected to be published in May 2024, reporting 2023 traffic figures.
Headline figures
Traffic in 2022 was impacted by the travel restrictions that were in place across the country between March 2020 and March 2022 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Traffic levels in 2022 were higher than 2021 but remain below pre-pandemic levels.
Chart 1: Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain, 2012 to 2022
Chart 1 is a bar chart that shows that 323.8 billion vehicle miles were driven on Great Britain’s roads in 2022, an increase of 8.8% compared to 2021. Traffic in 2022 was 4.4% lower when compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
As shown in the chart, vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain saw year-on-year growth in each year between 2012 and 2019. Following a sharp decline in 2020, traffic levels in 2021 and 2022 increased, but 2022 levels still remain lower than the 2016 levels. Therefore, to say traffic has fallen since 2016 would misconstrue as the overall decrease is entirely due to the decline in traffic levels observed during the pandemic.
Traffic in Great Britain by vehicle type
This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic by vehicle type.
In 2022, traffic levels for cars and buses and coaches remained below pre-pandemic (2019) levels, whereas all other vehicle types were above the 2019 pre-pandemic levels, including pedal cycles.
Chart 2: Vehicle miles travelled by vehicle type in Great Britain, 2019 to 2022
Chart 2 is a bar chart that shows that in 2022:
- car traffic increased by 10.2% from 2021 levels to 244.0 billion vehicle miles. 2022 car traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-7.2% when compared to 2019)
- van traffic increased by 5.8% from 2021 to 57.5 billion vehicle miles. Van traffic estimates for 2022 are higher than levels before the pandemic (+7.6% when compared to 2019)
- lorry traffic decreased slightly by 0.6% from 2021 to 17.4 billion vehicle miles. 2022 lorry traffic estimates are higher than levels before the pandemic (+1.0% when compared to 2019)
- bus and coach traffic increased by 14.4% from 2021 levels to 2.1 billion vehicle miles. 2022 bus and coach traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-12.3% when compared to 2019)
- motorcycle traffic increased by 12.1% from 2021 to 2.8 billion vehicle miles. Motorcycle traffic estimates for 2022 are higher than levels before the pandemic (+6.3% when compared to 2019)
- pedal cycle traffic (cyclists on public highways, and the paths next to them) was 3.9 billion vehicle miles, 7.2% below 2021 levels. 2022 cycle traffic estimates are higher than levels before the pandemic (+7.4% when compared to 2019)
Table 1: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain in 2022 compared to earlier years
| Vehicle type | Latest year 2022 | Last year 2021 | Pre-pandemic 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All motor vehicle traffic | 323.8 billion | + 8.8% | - 4.4% | |
| Cars and taxis | 244.0 billion | + 10.2% | - 7.2% | |
| Light commercial vehicles | 57.5 billion | + 5.8% | + 7.6% | |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 17.4 billion | - 0.6% | + 1.0% | |
| Buses and coaches | 2.1 billion | - 14.4% | -12.3% | |
| Motorcycles and scooters | 2.8 billion | + 12.1% | + 6.3% | |
| Pedal cycles | 3.9 billion | - 7.2% | + 7.4% |
Traffic in Great Britain by road type
This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic by road type.
All road types saw an increase in traffic levels during 2022 compared to 2021 and a decrease in when comparing 2022 levels to 2019.
Chart 3: Vehicle miles travelled by road type in Great Britain, 2019 to 2022
Chart 3 is a bar chart that shows that in 2022:
- motorway traffic increased by 13.3% compared to 2021, carrying 68.2 billion vehicle miles of traffic. Motorway traffic estimates for 2022 remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-3.2%)
- ‘A’ road traffic saw a 9.4% increase from 2021, to 142.0 billion vehicle miles of traffic. ‘A’ roads traffic estimates for 2022 are lower than those for before the pandemic (-5.5% when compared to 2019)
- minor road traffic increased by 5.6% since 2021, to 113.6 billion vehicle miles of traffic. 2022 minor roads traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-3.7% when compared to 2019)
Table 2: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain in 2022 compared to earlier years
| Road type | Latest year 2022 | Last year 2021 | Pre-pandemic 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All roads | 323.8 billion | + 8.8% | - 4.4% | |
| Motorways | 68.2 billion | + 13.3% | - 3.2% | |
| ‘A’ roads | 142.0 billion | + 9.4% | - 5.5% | |
| Minor roads | 113.6 billion | + 5.6% | - 3.7% |
Traffic on England’s road networks
This section provides the headline figures. Please see the companion release for more information about traffic on England’s road networks.
England’s road networks saw an increase in traffic levels during 2022 compared to 2021 and a decrease when comparing 2022 levels to 2019.
Chart 4: Vehicle miles travelled by road type in England, 2019 to 2022
Chart 4 is a bar chart that shows that in 2022:
- Strategic Road Network traffic increased by 12.7% compared to 2021, carrying 93.7 billion vehicle miles of traffic. 2022 Strategic Road Network traffic estimates remain lower than those for before the pandemic (-3.2% when compared to 2019)
- traffic on England’s local authority managed roads, compared to 2021, increased by 8.3% on motorways and ‘A’ roads and 5.4% on minor roads to 86.2 and 96.5 billion vehicle miles, respectively
Table 3: Estimates of vehicle miles travelled in England in 2022 compared to earlier years
| Road type | Latest year 2022 | Last year 2021 | Pre-pandemic 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All roads in England | 276.5 billion | + 8.7% | - 4.5% | |
| Strategic Road Network | 93.7 billion | + 12.7% | - 3.2% | |
| Local authority motorways and ‘A’ roads | 86.2 billion | + 8.3% | - 6.0% | |
| Local authority minor roads | 96.5 billion | + 5.4% | - 4.4% |
Background Information
Annual estimates make use of data from around 8,000 manual traffic counts in addition to continuous data from a national network of automatic traffic counters. These data sources produce accurate estimates on traffic levels in Great Britain by vehicle type and by road type.
Whilst road traffic data is accurate at a high level of aggregation, it should be noted that:
- Although we produce traffic breakdowns by local authorities, traffic at this level is not as robust, due to the sample size of the minor road data, and must be treated with caution
- Estimates for pedal cycle traffic only include cycling on roads, or paths directly adjacent to the road, and do not include estimates of cycling on other routes such as canal paths. Therefore, they may not give a complete representation of cycling
Further information about these statistics is available, including:
- a detailed explanation of the methodology used to produce DfT road traffic statistics can be found online in the annual road traffic estimates: methodology note
- notes and definitions for the road traffic statistics
- the data tables, which give further detail of the key results presented in this statistical release
- a geographical website that allows users to view and download estimated traffic flows on every link of the ‘A’ road and motorway network in Great Britain
Other traffic statistics publications:
Publication of provisional quarterly road traffic estimates
Provisional road traffic estimates, Great Britain is a quarterly statistical publication which includes estimates of road traffic on Great Britain’s roads for each quarter. The road traffic figures are based on the data collected from automatic traffic counters (one of the sources used in this annual publication).
Publication of daily road traffic trends
Daily domestic transport use by mode is a monthly statistical publication which includes estimates of road traffic change on Great Britain’s roads for each day since 1 March 2020. The road traffic figures in the monthly publication use the same data source as the provisional statistics that are published quarterly (above). However, to achieve a daily estimate of traffic change, lower levels of validation have been applied compared to the statistical outputs presented here. Further information is available in the corresponding methodology note.
Users and uses of road traffic estimates
We continuously review the content of these statistics to ensure they are meeting users’ needs. We welcome feedback via email by contacting the road traffic statistics team
Road traffic data are a key source of management information on the country’s infrastructure. Main uses of road traffic statistics include:
National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) Road traffic statistics are used to produce the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), a legal requirement for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Transport Modelling The Department for Transport’s National Transport Model uses most traffic and speeds outputs to make forecasts and to inform policy decisions on a broad range of issues.
Local transport planning Local Authorities (including Transport for London) and devolved governments use the data for transport planning, road engineering and policy monitoring at a regional or local level.
Road collisions and safety statistics Road collisions and safety statistics use annual and quarterly traffic estimates to produce road safety and casualty rates, as used for the monitoring of road safety policies.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities This department uses traffic data on major roads to contribute towards the funding settlement for local authorities.
Public Users The Department for Transport receives over 200,000 visits annually to the traffic counts website and its underlying datasets, which provide street-level traffic data for every junction-to-junction link on the ‘A’ road and motorway network in Great Britain.
Further Information
National Statistics are produced to high professional standards, as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. These statistics were designated as National Statistics in February 2013, details of which can be found on the road traffic statistics information page.
Details of Ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found on the pre-release access page.
To hear more about DfT statistics publications as they are released, please follow us on Twitter.
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Contact details
Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics
Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk
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