London stalls with 1,200 miles of traffic jams as thousands flee ahead of closure

Tens of thousands of drivers rushed out of the capital tonight before the second national lockdown takes effect at midnight.

Data from the SatNav TomTom app shows that London congestion was 34% higher than average at 6pm

The mass exodus of city dwellers to their rural homes caused 2,624 traffic jams that spanned 1,200 miles, and drivers reported delays of more than 90 minutes.

It comes amid fears that the four-week lockdown could extend beyond December 2 and potentially beyond Christmas.

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This could persuade some people to stay with their family and loved ones while they still have the opportunity. Others squeezed in some last-minute holiday shopping while nonessential stores were still open.

TomTom data showed a similar picture across England, with worse-than-usual traffic in 16 of the 24 towns and cities and a total stop on the M25. Traffic increased 6% in Manchester, 34% in Newcastle and 17% in Leeds.

On the North London loop, traffic jams stretched up to eight miles, causing an average delay of one hour and fifteen minutes, according to the Inrix traffic management system.

Complaining about congestion on Twitter, Londoners complained of “chaos everywhere” and said 25-minute trips were stretched to 1 hour 40 minutes.

Paul Clarke wrote: “The traffic tonight in South London was the worst I have seen in my life in three decades of driving.”

Another user said, “It only took me two hours to drive 5 miles … this pre-crash traffic.”

With the holiday season fast approaching, the lockdown will serve as another blow to the retail sector, which has already struggled through the pandemic.

Insisting that the non-essential business closure would not continue beyond December 2, Boris Johnson apologized for the ‘nightmare of the Covid world’

In a prerecorded speech from Downing Street, he said: ‘I know how difficult this has been for you and I am filled with admiration for the determination you have shown in persevering through this crisis.

“ I want to thank you for the heroic efforts you have made to take care of your employees, to make your facilities Covid safe, putting up Perspex screens, all the problems you have had to comply with the types of dictates that I never believed that We would have to impose what, I assure you, goes completely against every free-market instinct I have.

“And trust me, we will end these fall measures on December 2 when they expire.”

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