Hereford named one of least congested places in the UK

Bill Plant Driving School analysed government data as it tried to find the best places in the UK for learners to pass their tests.

And as part of that, the firm looked at congestion and the average delay of seconds per vehicle per mile on local A roads.

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And Hereford came fourth in the top 20, just behind Telford, Lincoln and Telford.

But the reason for that is likely to be because the A49 was excluded as it is classed as part of the strategic road network, not a local A road.

According to Bill Plant Driving School's analysis of the 2021 Government data, the top ten places for the least congestion is:

1. Telford 19.9
2. Lincoln 21.3
3. Peterborough 22.3
4. Hereford 23.8
5. Cambridge 24.4
6. Worcester 27.7
7. Northampton 29.8
8. Darlington 29.9
9. Durham 30.6
10. Gloucester 32.0

The firm said: "The cathedral city of Hereford is number four, located in the county of Herefordshire in the West Midlands.

"This time, 1.5 seconds is the difference between Hereford and Peterborough, as Hereford recorded just 23.8 seconds delay time per mile over 2021."

The overall table for best UK places for learner drivers saw Hereford come sixth, with other factors such as all accidents, approved driving instructions, the number of provisional licences and total driving test pass rate also taken into account.

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Separate Government data, which includes the A49 in Hereford, suggests the main road is among the worst in England, excluding London.

The A49 northbound between A438 near Hereford (south) and A438 near Hereford (north) saw delays of 193.7 seconds per vehicle per mile.

Northbound between B4224 and A4103 had delays of 155.1 seconds, southbound between A438 near Hereford (north) and A465 of 126.9 seconds and northbound between B4399 and A465 of 126.6 seconds.

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