If you were thinking about whether or not to take motorbike lessons in London, new research from Satnav firm TomTom will provide a particularly compelling reason to do so.

Being able to weave in and out of busy traffic is a good way of speeding up journeys when there is lots of congestion on the roads and while many overseas cities have a bad reputation for traffic jams, it seems London actually tops them all when it comes to having slow roads.

The TomTom Traffic Index revealed that the average speed vehicles moved across central London in 2022 was only about 14 kph (9 mph). At such times it takes around 40 minutes to make the six mile journey across the centre. Traffic is at its worst at rush hour on Thursday evenings, averaging just 13 kph.

This speed is the slowest for rush hour traffic of any city in the world. Every other city posted an average rush hour driving speed of at least 17 kph. 

Overall, the survey found older cities with historic road networks tend to be slower, with other poor performers including Paris, Dublin, Rome, Manila and Bucharest. Most of the fastest traffic journeys were possible in younger American cities.

The situation was not as bad in London’s suburbs, where the city ranked 66th overall, but that is little use for those whose journeys involve entering the congested inner area.

London’s congested centre, combined with its very extensive public transport system, is why car ownership is low in many inner London areas. 

The most recent survey of car ownership by the RAC foundation is over ten years old, but its most notable finding - that of the 348 English local authorities the 16 boroughs with the lowest car ownership were in London, is unlikely to be much different now, especially with new developments in public transport like the Elizabeth Line and Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station.

However, going without a car does place constraints on where you can travel and how fast. A motorbike offers more flexibility - and more opportunities to dodge the traffic when it gets particularly busy.