Measured by National Highways roadside sensors
Is traffic worse on a Friday afternoon?
Yes
Yes. Between 12:00 and 20:00, 24 of 35 measured roads are slower on a Friday than on Monday to Thursday. The typical road runs 7.6% below normal speed on a Friday afternoon against 6.3% on other weekdays, and Friday’s worst hour is 16:00. Measured between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026.
The evidence
Every road in the comparison| Road | Friday 12:00 to 20:00 | Mon to Thu 12:00 to 20:00 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| M18 | 27.0% below | 9.4% below | +17.6 points |
| M61 | 15.3% below | 6.3% below | +8.9 points |
| A1 | 14.3% below | 6.0% below | +8.4 points |
| M11 | 17.7% below | 9.5% below | +8.2 points |
| M5 | 15.3% below | 8.0% below | +7.3 points |
| M25 | 20.6% below | 14.5% below | +6.2 points |
| M60 | 15.0% below | 9.4% below | +5.6 points |
| M56 | 12.1% below | 7.3% below | +4.8 points |
| M62 | 13.5% below | 8.9% below | +4.7 points |
| M42 | 12.3% below | 8.2% below | +4.1 points |
| M49 | 7.0% below | 3.6% below | +3.4 points |
| A27 | 7.8% below | 5.5% below | +2.3 points |
| M40 | 6.9% below | 4.7% below | +2.2 points |
| M6 | 13.0% below | 11.1% below | +1.8 points |
| M3 | 5.1% below | 3.5% below | +1.7 points |
| A3 | 4.6% below | 3.1% below | +1.5 points |
| M67 | 4.8% below | 3.3% below | +1.5 points |
| M66 | 6.8% below | 5.6% below | +1.2 points |
| M1 | 8.3% below | 7.2% below | +1.1 points |
| M32 | 11.3% below | 10.3% below | +1.0 points |
| A1(M) | 7.8% below | 6.9% below | +1.0 points |
| M4 | 7.6% below | 6.8% below | +0.8 points |
| A42 | 6.5% below | 5.9% below | +0.5 points |
| A14 | 8.8% below | 8.2% below | +0.5 points |
| A2 | 6.3% below | 6.0% below | +0.3 points |
| M23 | 3.8% below | 3.6% below | +0.2 points |
| M27 | 6.4% below | 6.4% below | -0.0 points |
| M65 | 3.3% below | 3.6% below | -0.2 points |
| M2 | 3.6% below | 3.9% below | -0.3 points |
| M54 | 8.3% below | 8.9% below | -0.5 points |
| M20 | 5.2% below | 5.9% below | -0.8 points |
| M69 | 1.9% below | 2.9% below | -0.9 points |
| M55 | 4.4% below | 5.4% below | -1.0 points |
| M602 | 3.7% below | 4.7% below | -1.0 points |
| M621 | 6.1% below | 8.1% below | -2.0 points |
How this is worked out
Average % below normal speed over 12:00 to 19:59, Friday against the mean of Monday to Thursday. A road counts as slower on a Friday when the gap is more than half a point. Measured by National Highways roadside sensors between 1 May 2026 and 15 June 2026 on 35 roads with at least 5 sensors each. Each figure is the typical (median) road, so one unusual road cannot decide it. Typical patterns from the archive, not live traffic. The full method.