The average UK commuter spends almost 29 working days each year travelling to work, equating to five years over a working life, according to new figures.

Furthermore, the research, carried out by Work Wise UK and the Automobile Association (AA), found that the average London commuter, who spends around three hours a day travelling to and from work, will waste a staggering eighteen years of their life to the daily slog.

Commuting is not only costly in terms of time but is also increasingly expensive as fuel prices continue to soar. Record fuel prices have added 16% in the last year to fuel bills just to get to work. With 18 million people commuting by car, this equates to an additional cost of £866m a year, say the researchers.

There are also other costs to be considered, say the report’s authors, not least the impact on the environment and the rising cost of obesity due to low levels of exercise.

Also, with car ownership rising to almost 28 million in the past decade, many parts of the UK are suffering from road congestion which local governments and businesses alike view as a serious obstacle to sustained economic growth. Work Wise UK estimates that if recent trends continue, by 2025 congestion will waste around £22bn worth of time in England each year.

As a result, Work Wise UK and the AA have drawn up a ‘smart commuting’ strategy to include car sharing, cycling and public transport in order to save time and be greener. Adapting working practices to allow flexible, remote, mobile and home working will also help cut commuting, they claim.

Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK said a change of mind-set is required. “Apart from massive investment in roads and transport, the only real solution is to fundamentally change working practices to better manage the limited resources we have.”

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