Snail capital
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[!atest Department of Transport figures
show that the average speed of central London traffic during the day is 10.2mph. This covers an area within a three kilometre radius of the Aldwych, and is about the speed of a horse and carriage.
The figure has been calculated for the period between now and 1990, and is the slowest speed since records began. It is also 1.3mph slower than the previous average for 1986 to 1990, despite the introduction of new traffic control schemes such as red routes. But it's not all bad news. Latest figures for the larger inner-London area, covering boroughs such as Wandsworth and Hackney, show a 1.5mph increase in the average daytime traffic speed.
This value has now risen to a breathtaking 13.3mph, so you're still better off on a pushbike — unless you happen to have ten tonnes of goods to shift.