Preston evening traffic adds almost four and a half minutes to a six-mile drive

Preston drivers face an average 27 minute longer drive at evening rush hour but it's not as bad as Manchester and Liverpool, research shows.

Whether it is getting home, collecting someone or heading out for dinner, evening traffic can squeeze the time left in the day.

Analysis by FLBR Motorsport finds that a 10km journey in Preston takes 27 minutes and 54 seconds during evening rush hour.

That compares with an all-day average of 23 minutes and 26 seconds, adding four minutes and 28 seconds.

The 19.1% increase puts Preston joint 25th among 34 UK locations, alongside Liverpool when percentages are rounded to one decimal place.

Manchester records a much larger increase of 34.2%, with evening journeys taking 38 minutes and 43 seconds per 10km. Liverpool’s evening journey takes 32 minutes and 47 seconds.

Birmingham tops the overall comparison at 36.8%.

Josh Felber, spokesperson for FLBR Motorsport, said: “Preston’s increase is smaller than Manchester’s, but nearly four and a half minutes can still upset a tightly planned evening. Checking the expected journey time before setting off can help avoid an unrealistic arrival estimate.”

TomTom’s City-area data was used to compare evening rush-hour and all-day average times for a 10km drive. Locations were ranked by the percentage increase, rounded to one decimal place.