Not quite rush hour as traffic slows to 14mph across the West Midlands

Motorists in the West Midlands have got used to the misery of clogged roads, but official data from the Department of Transport shows that many journeys in the region are a fifth slower than they were a year ago.

Rush hour speeds were down to 13.9mph on average in the 12 months to September 2015 – a drop of 22.3 per cent from the previous year.

And nine of the worst performing A-roads were in the Black Country, with nine routes seeing an average speed of less than 13mph.

The figures have sparked calls for toll charges to be scrapped on the M6 to free up the region's commuter routes.

Others describe the figures as 'am embarrassment to the Black Country'.

The A4030 southbound through Smethwick had the lowest average speed in the region, with drivers crawling along at a snail-paced 8.7mph during the morning commute.

A34 Southbound, Sandwell: 9.2 mph

A4100 Westbound, Dudley: 10.2 mph

A4150 Eastbound, Wolverhampton: 10.6 mph

A459 Northbound, Wolverhampton: 11.4 mph

A4034 Northbound, Sandwell: 12.3 mph

A4400 Southbound, Birmingham: 12.3 mph

A4030 Northbound, Sandwell: 12.6 mph

A4092 Eastbound, Sandwell: 12.6 mph

Bhanu Dhir, head of policy of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, has called on the West Midlands Combined Authority to take action.

He said traffic delays cost hauliers in the region at least £300 million per year. "We see a priority of the combined authority being better capacity and capability from our public transport infrastructure making it a much more attractive proposition than it is now," he added.

"Furthermore we look forward to working with them to lobby the Secretary of State for Transport to make better use of strategic assets such as the M6 Toll so it functions better to relieve the pressure on local roads.

"We need more imagination and determination and the private sector will play its part in making improvements to what is frankly an embarrassment to the Black Country."

The A34 at Great Barr was another slow run, with average speeds down 22.7 per cent from the previous year at 9.2mph.

Meanwhile the A4100 saw an average speed of 10.2mph as it snakes through Cradley Heath and Quarry Bank.

The average speed on the region's A-roads during rush hour was 18.5mph in 2015, down from 19.5mph the previous year.

Wolverhampton has been particularly badly hit by traffic congestion in recent years, with a revamp to the Midland Metro and city centre roadworks causing major delays.

The eastbound ring road saw an excruciatingly slow average speed of 10.6mph, while Dudley Road running into the city through Blakenhall had an average speed of 11.4mph. UKIP MEP Jill Seymour said the situation had forced some businesses to move away from the area. She has called on the M6 Toll to be scrapped.

"Allowing motorists to use the route without being charged would take pressure off the many other local roads which are currently in danger of grinding to a complete halt. It is time for the Department of Transport, and local authorities, to think more creatively.

"The longer they delay, the more money our under-pressure transport companies are losing.

"Business leaders estimate that traffic delays now cost hauliers in the region at least £300 million per year, and unless a solution is found, this figure is only going to continue to rise.

"We need more imagination and determination to solve this issue. We have reached a stage where commuters dread hitting the West Midlands at peak times, because they know the roads are among the slowest in the country."