If your business is at the research stage of finding a new town or city to operate in, choosing a location that’s easily accessible for staff is vital. In fact, a place of work that is easily commutable can even widen your net when searching for talented staff. In today’s hectic modern world, we’re all striving for the ideal work-life balance and a stress-free commute can bring huge benefits to staff in their state of mind and physical wellbeing.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of some of the towns and cities across the UK that are regularly deemed good – or bad – for everyday commuting, based on a recent survey by Good Move and official government analysis on the best-connected cities outside of London:

The best UK commuter towns and cities

At the end of last year, the UK Government conducted analysis to determine the best-connected towns and cities outside of the capital. It used new government figures to ascertain the ease with which people across the country could access key services using public transport or walking. These three areas were regarded as having the best connectivity:

 

  • Manchester
    Even though Manchester has the biggest travel-to-work urban area outside of the capital, with seven million people living within 60 minutes of the city centre, Manchester was deemed to have the best public transport links, thanks to a well-served rail and tram network and motorway infrastructure.
  • Leicester
    The East Midlands city of Leicester enjoys excellent transport connections, with close proximity to three motorways (M69, M1 and M6) and direct rail links to London and the North.
  • Portsmouth
    This south-coast naval city is said to have one of the most accessible public transport networks in the country, along with the M27 and A3(M) which offer direct road links to the rest of Hampshire.

 

The worst UK commuter towns and cities

Organisation, Good Move, also recently investigated the UK towns and cities that were deemed the most stressful places to get to work. It focused firmly on the areas that were most agonising for drivers on their daily commute. The following three areas were labelled as having the most frustrating trips to work:

 

  • York
    Within the survey, York was deemed to have the most stressed commuters, with around half of all commuters in the city admitting their daily commute affects their stress levels. York’s ring road and city centre streets are well-known to be at a standstill during rush hour.
  • London
    Around half of all those that use cars and public transport to commute throughout London are also said to feel stressed by their daily travels, citing congestion and cramped conditions as some of their main bugbears about negotiating their way across the capital. It’s one of the main reasons why fringe locations in outer London are increasingly popular for businesses.
  • Aberdeen
    This north-east Scotland city continues to suffer from difficult traffic flow during peak hours. Drivers in Aberdeen spend 28 hours a year sitting in stationary raffic during rush hour – the worst levels in Scotland.

 

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Pall Mall Estates have a wide range of low cost commercial properties across the UK.

Take a look at our available spaces here or get in touch with our experienced team here.

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