We keep Danes busy for a total of 350,000 hours. During the day! It adds up to astronomical sums if we calculate what it costs in wasted working hours.
The Roads Directorate has just published an analysis which reveals that Danes collectively waste 350,000 hours a day sitting in traffic jams. The time that is lost represents a socio-economic loss of DKK 31 billion. According to the analysis, the problem of congestion is most pronounced in the metropolitan area.
After a period of less traffic due to the corona pandemic, there is now a clear increase in the number of cars on the roads. This leads to increased congestion, where more and more Danes are stuck in queues when they drive to work, pick up children, shop or participate in leisure activities and social events.
The figures from the Road Directorate's 2022 analysis show that the average road user spent around 350,000 hours in traffic on a normal weekday, which corresponds to 80 million hours for the whole year. This entails a significant economic loss, which affects both private individuals and companies.
According to Andreas Egense, head of department in the Road Directorate, the socio-economic loss is extensive: "Besides the fact that it's a pain to keep up on the motorways, it's also expensive for society. We waste time, it reduces the supply of labor and that makes it expensive to transport goods and services."
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It is on the motorways that there is the most congestion in relation to the length of the road. The capital area in particular experiences many delays, with 43 percent of the total nationwide delay occurring in the Capital Region.
This significant socio-economic loss of DKK 31 billion consists of lost time for both passenger cars, vans and lorries. In addition, it also affects the labor supply, where the many hours in the queue correspond to a loss of DKK 1.95 billion.
Andreas Egense points out that congestion is a reality that will become more difficult to deal with in the coming years: "Congestion is a phenomenon that we have to get used to, and we will probably see that the problem will only grow bigger over the coming years . You can try to build your way out of it, but it can be difficult, as the congestion is worst in built-up areas where many people live."
He proposes alternative solutions, such as increased intersections, better utilization of road capacity or measures that reduce the demand for car traffic.
Another factor that may have affected congestion in 2022 is rising fuel prices, which have prompted some road users to slow down to save money. From 2019 to 2022, the average price of petrol rose from DKK 14.42 to DKK 17.00 per litres.
To measure congestion, the Roads Directorate compares the actual speed of road users with the speed they could travel at if the roads were empty. This is done on the basis of around eight billion speed observations from across the country.
The results for 2023 are expected to be published before the summer holidays.
