Van traffic has doubled in 25 years

Van traffic on British roads has increased by almost 100% since 1993, the latest official government figures show.

A report on the Motoring Research website noted that van traffic has reached a record high of 51 billion vehicle miles and now accounts for 16% of all motor vehicle traffic, up from 10% in 1993.  Over the same period, the proportion of car and taxi traffic has fallen from 82% to 78%.

The figures show that the increase in van traffic is due to an increase in the number of vans on the road, rising from 2.1 million in 1994 to 4.0 million in 2018.  The average annual mileage per van is relatively unchanged at around 13,000 miles a year.

And while there has been a considerable increase in van traffic, the rate of growth appears to be slowing.  Comparing 2017 to 2018, van traffic increased by 0.9%, while car traffic increased by 0.2%.

“The number of miles travelled on our roads hardly changed in 2018 compared to the previous year, but interestingly, the forms of transport used has,” said the RAC’s Head of Roads Policy Nicholas Lyes.  “Van traffic, despite experiencing slower growth in 2018, still saw a slight increase which sets a new record high.  Cycling miles also rose and is now 34% above what it was 25 years ago, but there has been a continued decline in the number of miles travelled by buses and coaches.”