Facts & figures about Herefordshire

Road usage

Download data. Updated: this page contains newer data than the 2009 State of Herefordshire Report.

An estimated 10,500 vehicle kilometres per head were travelled on Herefordshire roads¹ in 2007, representing a 7% increase compared with 2002. Road usage for Herefordshire remains consistently higher than the general trend for the West Midlands and England as a whole (chart 1). However, this level of increase is comparable to other "shire" counties in the region.

Chart 1. Vehicle kilometres per head, 2002-2007

Source: Department for Transport's National Road Traffic Survey

According to the 2001 Census, almost a quarter (24%) of people in the county worked within 2km of their home, one of the highest proportions in the region. As people are travelling relatively short distances, this is a major factor in traffic congestion as most of these journeys are made in the urban areas and rural towns. Conversely people living in rural village locations in the county are more likely to be travelling between 5km and 10km to work (23%) than those in urban locations (5%). A further 16% of residents in rural villages travel between 10km and 20km. These longer journeys to work suggest that there is a need for these residents to travel greater distances to access a wider range of employment opportunities.

This indicator monitors levels of traffic both into Hereford City and on Herefordshire’s principal rural road network; higher levels of traffic are likely to cause higher levels of traffic congestion. The target is to restrict growth to 1% per year until 2010-11.

Chart 2. Index of annual average weekly traffic (AAWT) volumes in Herefordshire

* baseline year
Source: LTP3, Transportation, Herefordshire Council

In 2008-09, volumes of traffic on both the radial routes into Hereford and principal rural roads decreased to below the original baseline figure of 2003-04. This followed some minor increases between 2006-07 and 2007-08. This puts this indicator on track to achieve its target in 2010-11.

However, despite the figures for traffic volumes decreasing in some cases, public perception is that traffic congestion is one aspect of living in Herefordshire that most residents feel needs improving (33% felt this in 2008, Herefordshire quality of life survey, Herefordshire Council).

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¹ Source: Department for Transport's National Road Traffic Survey

Last updated: 26 February 2010