Drivers wasting eight days a year in heavy traffic

Dublin drivers waste eight days of their lives each year in traffic congestion. Stock image

Ryan Nugent

Dublin drivers waste eight days of their lives each year in traffic congestion, according to a new report.

The staggering numbers put together by the TomTom traffic index found that traffic congestion wastes away an extra two days a year in Dublin city in comparison with London and on a similar scale to the heavy traffic experienced in Belfast.

The findings worked out that the capital is Ireland's most congested city, as drivers spend 192 hours a year - the equivalent of 50 minutes each day - in traffic.

A delay hotspot feature used in the index found Dublin's busiest roads were Ormond Quay Upper and Lower - which are feared to get even more hectic for private vehicles as an extra bus lane gets added to the quay, limiting private vehicles to one lane.

Congestion was up 3pc in Dublin on last year. Dublin was followed by Cork in the report, with drivers in Cork city centre experiencing six days of traffic delays each year.

Meanwhile, those in Limerick are delayed for four days each year and rank in third place, with Henry Street the most prominent spot.

The national average in the UK is five days, indicating that a number of Irish cities are ranked clearly above.