TRAFFIC congestion in Glasgow is costing businesses around £25million a year in lost productivity according to a new study.

The TomTom Traffic Index found jams in the city increase the time each vehicle spends on the road by 122 hours a year or more than 15 working days.

This could equate to a cost of more than £35m in time spent sitting in traffic for the 30,800 commercial vehicles operating in the city.

Beverley Wise, director UK and Ireland for TomTom Telematics, said: “Traffic congestion may be seen as a fact of life but cumulatively, it is taking a heavy toll on the UK economy and this should not be accepted as an inevitability.

“Making the most of billable time is key to profitability for any business so organisations that rely heavily on a mobile workforce must look for ways to maximise the time employees spend actually doing jobs by minimising time spent on the road.

“Through smarter planning, routing and scheduling, companies can help their drivers to better avoid traffic, which could not only have an impact on productivity but also customer service.”

Stephen Flynn, vice chairman of Glasgow Taxis, described the findings of the study as “unforgiveable.”

He said: “For commercial vehicles in Glasgow to be losing an average of 15 working days per year because of traffic congestion is unforgiveable.  “We say that not only on behalf of our members and drivers who will suffer lost income, but also our customers, citizens, businesses and tourists who will experience unnecessary and sometimes costly delays.  “While we appreciate there are some circumstances which are outwith anyone’s control there would still appear to be some very clear, quick wins.  “One prime and nonsensical example is the city’s ‘Squinty Bridge’, The Clyde Arc, which has a traffic system that benefits nobody.  We have been writing to the council for more than a year about this – even offering to collect the chief executive and transport her down to see it for herself – however all invitations have been declined and our repeated pleas continue to fall on deaf ears.”  The biggest financial hit was felt in London, where £237 million is lost to traffic each year, followed by Manchester with £157,729,390 and Birmingham at £81,364,800.

The TomTom Traffic Index measures congestion on the road networks of 295 cities around the world.