Summary statistics
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.
Overall traffic levels in 2022 were higher than 2021 but remain below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Motor vehicle traffic on Great Britain roads increased by 8.8% between 2021 and 2022, to 323.8 billion vehicle miles. Traffic in 2022 was 4.4% lower than when compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
Road traffic by vehicle type
| Time period: | 1993 to 2022 |
| Source: | Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2022 |
244.0 bvm
Cars and taxis
57.5 bvm
Light commerical vehicles
17.4 bvm
Heavy goods vehicles
3.9 bvm
Pedal cycles
2.1 bvm
Buses and coaches
2.8 bvm
Motorcycles
The main facts and figures show that:
- 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)
- 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)
Whilst historically significant, the long term trends can be misleading in most cases due to the extraordinary circumstances observed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain have had year-on-year growth in each year between 2011 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.
Road traffic by road type
| Time period: | 1993 to 2022 |
| Source: | Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2022 |
The main facts and figures show that:
- 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)
Whilst historically significant, the long term trends can be misleading in most cases due to the extraordinary circumstances observed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Vehicle miles travelled in Great Britain have had year-on-year growth in each year between 2011 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.
Annual traffic across Great Britain
Data downloads
Download street-level traffic figures for all regions, local authorities and count point locations.
- Annual average daily flow
- Annual average daily flow by direction
- Raw counts