London Behind In Global Race - Bikes Now Faster Than Cars

WeLoveAnyCar.com, the UK’s biggest car review site, crunches new Department of Transport figures and finds bikes go faster in Camden than cars. With an average speed of less than 9.5 MPH, car ownership is falling in London.

Department of Transport figures released on 13th February, highlight a growing problem in the world's leading city: London.

London Boroughs responsible for local 'A' roads are losing the global race in transport efficiency as the average speed of cars in the Capital falls below cyclists.

Camden is the slowest Borough according to measurements issued by the Department of Transport.

155 MPH Porsche In Camden With Average 9.5 MPH in Camden, London

WeLoveAnyCar.com analysed the Department's monthly figures by each individual 'A' road then averaged these out over 12 months by Local Authority or Borough. All figures were based on the speeds of cars from 7am to 10am on individual roads measured by Department of Transport officials. Whilst they say their figures are 'experimental', they have been collecting data for more than 6 years on over 4000 stretches of 'A' roads.

The top ten slowest road networks were all in London Boroughs with Camden vehicle owners averaging road speeds of just 9.5 MPH over a 12 month period.

Close behind in the slowest road tables were the City of London and Islington. However virtually all the London Boroughs are bottom of the vehicle speed lists.

The fastest Local Authority was Rutland. The slowest road in England over 12 months was Tottenham Court Road.

David Titmuss of WeLoveAnyCar.com said, “We track average top speeds by car by area and our database runs into millions. We found some of the fastest cars are owned by people who live in the slowest Boroughs in London."

Car ownership is declining in many major cities and this new analysis gives an insight into why commuters are increasingly turning to the bike, bus, train and even choosing to walk.

"Soon walking could be faster than car in London if the trends in the data continue," said the WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman.

How to Get £5000 from the Government - Buy A Porsche

The government wants us to buy an environmentally friendly 'plug-in' car and are giving grants to car buyers who opt for a car that uses energy more efficiently. The windfall even awaits buyers of the 167mph Porsche Panamera S-E Hybrid. 

£5000 Saving - Buy A Porsche

Cars with a government grant

Qualifying cars for the 'plug-in' grant have more reasonable prices and include the following makes and models.  The maximum grant is £5000 or up to 20% of the list price.

• BMW i3
• Chevrolet Volt
• Citroen CZero
• Ford Focus Electric
  
• Mia Electric 
• Mitsubishi iMiEV
• Nissan Leaf
• Peugeot iON
• Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
• Renault Fluence
• Renault ZOE
• Smart fortwo electric drive
• Tesla Model S
• Toyota Prius Plug-in
• Vauxhall Ampera
• Volkswagen e-up!
• Volvo V60

New plug-in cars are being released. Click on the above to find out about specific models or click here to find all plug-in and electric cars being sold in the UK.

Savings made simple - Ask your dealer

The Government has published a guide to claiming the grant and is at pains to stress how easy it is to make a claim of 20% off the price of qualifying cars. All you have to do is ask the dealer, who sorts out all the paperwork. 

We constantly update all new car listings with full technical specifications and prices, visit our new car search facility.

Fuel economy - fact or fiction?

How many miles per gallon does a car really achieve?  Often it is less than claimed.  

The best way to get an idea of how a car really performs is to ask other car owners.  Over 540,000 reviews and views are recorded on our car review site. All cars are rated for economy so click here and read up on any car you are thinking of buying.