According to new research by internet job site Reed, transport problems have caused one in six people to consider changing where they work in the last year.

From more than 6,000 workers throughout the UK surveyed by reed.co.uk, 15 per cent said they had considered moving jobs in the last 12 months just to avoid transport stress. Hundreds of people have actually moved. While the South West is worst hit, with 18 per cent of workers thinking of
moving jobs as a direct result of transport problems, the Thames Valley, Wales, North West and South come close behind with 17 per cent thinking of changing job location.

Bad transport continues to cause a whole range of difficulties at work. One in eight workers missed at least an hour’s worth of work per week, rising to over four hours every week for some respondents. This means British business is losing over £5billion a year due to transport chaos.

Regionally, London was the hardest hit by time lost, where this figure rose to over one in six workers losing more than an hour a week. ‘It makes you think seriously about working in London’ said one frustrated commuter, ‘Is it worth the money and stress?’

The Government’s promise to improve public transport has clearly not persuaded the British population to use it. In all areas except London, travelling by car is the most popular mode of transport. In Wales 84% of the workforce travel to work by car, closely followed by the Home Counties
and Thames Valley regions (81%) and East Anglia (79%). Some workers who do use public transport describe the existing system as ‘diabolical’, and call it a ‘dirty and cramped’ alternative to congested motorways.

Nearly half of the British workforce feel their journey to work is more stressful than four years ago. Though men and women are experiencing equal levels of stress, there seems to be variations in age. According to reed.co.uk’s research, those experiencing the highest levels of stress
caused due to transport problems are in their forties.

Home lives of respondents are suffering as well. One in three workers are has less time for their family and friends than twelve months ago, rising to 44 per cent amongst Londoners.