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Congestion, wellbeing and health

Edexcel IAL Geography · WGE02 Geographical Investigations

Traffic congestion wastes time and money and damages wellbeing, and polluted air harms health, especially for the old and the young (spec 2.4.2, key idea 2).

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Congestion and the urban economy

INRIX's 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard (January 2025):

Drivers in Istanbul lost 105 hours to congestion in 2024; New York City and Chicago 102; London 101; Mexico City 97.
In London, congestion cost each driver about 942 pounds and the city about 3.85 billion pounds; the UK total was about 7.7 billion pounds.
A driver one mile into central London in the morning peak could expect about 13 mph.

Congestion raises business costs (late deliveries, wasted fuel and wages), makes a city less attractive to investors and reduces productivity.

City	Hours lost per driver, 2024
Istanbul	105
New York City	102
Chicago	102
London	101
Mexico City	97

Source: INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard

Wellbeing

For individuals, congestion means:

stress and frustration;
longer working days because commuting time grows, leaving less time with family, for exercise or rest;
greater pollution exposure inside vehicles and at roadsides;
greater danger for pedestrians and cyclists.

The January 2024 mark scheme credited problems such as respiratory and heart illness, road danger, journey delays reducing family time, and higher business costs for delivery drivers, provided they related to city people.

Health and WHO standards

WHO estimates ambient air pollution caused 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019, 89% of them in low- and middle-income countries; 99% of the world's population lived where WHO guideline levels were not met (fact sheet, October 2024). About 68% of these deaths were from heart disease and stroke, 14% from COPD, 14% from lower respiratory infections and 4% from lung cancer.

The 2021 WHO guidelines tightened the annual PM2.5 limit from 10 to 5 micrograms per m3 and NO2 from 40 to 10 micrograms per m3. Children (developing lungs, more breaths per minute) and older people (existing heart and lung disease) are most vulnerable, along with poorer people who live beside main roads.

Pollutant	2005 guideline	2021 guideline
PM2.5 annual	10	5
PM2.5 24-hour	25	15
PM10 annual	20	15
NO2 annual	40	10

Micrograms per cubic metre. Source: IQAir summary of WHO guidelines

Worked example

London drivers lost 101 hours to congestion in 2024. If a typical working year has 230 working days, about how many minutes is that per working day?

101 hours = 101 x 60 = 6,060 minutes.
6,060 / 230 = 26.3 minutes.

Answer: About 26 minutes per working day.

Key idea: Congestion: hours lost (Istanbul 105, London 101 in 2024), business costs, stress, longer working days, pollution exposure. Air pollution: 4.2 million deaths (2019); 2021 WHO PM2.5 guideline 5; children and the elderly most at risk.

Check yourself

London's congestion cost was about 3.85 billion pounds out of a UK total of about 7.7 billion pounds. What percentage was in London?
Show answer
50 %. 3.85 / 7.7 x 100 = 50%.
WHO says 89% of 4.2 million ambient air pollution deaths were in low- and middle-income countries. How many million deaths is that? Give your answer to 2 decimal places.
Show answer
3.74 million. 0.89 x 4.2 = 3.738, so 3.74 million.
By what factor did WHO reduce the annual NO2 guideline in 2021 (40 to 10 micrograms per m3)?
Show answer
4 times. 40 / 10 = 4.
Why are children particularly vulnerable to urban air pollution?
- They spend more time driving
- They are taller and nearer exhausts
- Their lungs are still developing and they breathe faster
- They are immune to particulates
Show answer
Their lungs are still developing and they breathe faster. Developing lungs and higher breathing rates increase the dose.
How can congestion damage a city's economy?
- It raises business costs through delays and wasted fuel
- It lowers fuel use
- It shortens journey times
- It increases time with family
Show answer
It raises business costs through delays and wasted fuel. Time and fuel cost money.
Explain one way traffic congestion reduces people's wellbeing.
Show answer
Long, unpredictable commutes lengthen the working day, causing stress and leaving less time for family, rest and exercise, which harms mental and physical health.. Cause, effect on time or stress, effect on health.

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Sources

Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.