środa 14 stycznia 2026 • Wiadomości i aktualizacje
Josh Cousens
Driving and parking in Europe’s cities can be a daily headache for HGV drivers — and high stress levels don’t just affect wellbeing; they impact fleet efficiency too. For logistics managers, knowing where these challenges are greatest is crucial for route planning, driver safety, and operational performance.Using social listening to analyse millions of geotagged posts across 150 European cities, our research identifies the places drivers find most stressful. Liverpool tops the list (60.5% of posts show driving-related stress), followed by Prague (59.2%) and Dublin (58.5%). Liverpool also ranks 2nd for most stressful city for parking in the UK. Congestion, scarce parking, and tricky road conditions are the main pain points highlighted by drivers across Europe.This study maps Europe’s HGV stress hotspots using real-world driver sentiment, showing how city conditions affect wellbeing. It is not about ranking countries, but giving fleet and logistics managers clear, actionable insights to support drivers, plan smarter routes, and reduce urban driving pressures.Our research analysed over 14 million geotagged social media posts from 150 European cities, covering driving-related topics such as parking, traffic, and road conditions. Posts were assessed for stress by tracking keywords and phrases linked to negative emotions in English and local languages. Each city was scored based on the percentage of posts expressing stress, providing a clear picture of driver pressure across Europe. Data was collected across major social media platform X (formerly Twitter) throughout 2025.“Stress” covers the pressures fleet drivers face on the road, including traffic, parking, road conditions, general driving, and conflicts with other drivers. Understanding these factors helps support driver wellbeing and performance.As of 2025 for most stressful cities for driving:1. . 60.5% of stressed social posts about parking the highest proportion of stress-related driving posts in Europe. . 59.2% of stressed social posts about parking likely due to dense traffic, historic street design, and limited space for larger vehicles navigating the city. . 58.5% of stressed social posts about parking – Driver stress is strongly linked to congestion delays, parking shortages, and busy commuter routes impacting daily driving conditions.The top 3 most stressful UK cities for parking in 2025:1. . Commonly shortened to as “Newcastle” and located in the county, Tyne and Wear, this city has a staggering 65.3% of stressed social posts about parking, making it the most stressful UK city for parking in 2025. . In Merseyside, 64.4% of social posts about parking in Liverpool express stress. . 63.9% of stressed social posts about parking in this city of North Yorkshire.Scotland also shows elevated parking stress, with ) and ranking among the UK’s most challenging cities to park in. Additionally, (57.9 of stressed social posts about parking. Contributing factors could include narrow streets, dense urban layouts, high demand for limited parking space, and city-centre restrictions, which may increase pressure on drivers.Using millions of geotagged social media posts, we scored each city was by the share of stress-related posts, revealing Europe’s top driving, parking hotspots, and highlighting the urban conditions that challenge drivers most. Our infographic map shows the top cities for driving and parking pressure, revealing key urban hotspots and the challenges faced by drivers in each market.Cities can increase driver stress due to congestion, narrow streets, and complex road layouts. (ranked 1st), (4th), and (5th) all feature among the most stressful cities to drive in England, with between and . Congestion hotspots and bottlenecks — such as and heavily congested routes like .— are key contributors to these elevated stress levels. and is one of Europe’s most congested cities, with due to heavy traffic, highlighting persistent congestion pressures on urban roads. Further social listening focused specifically on Irish motorists revealed that the counties of and recorded notably high parking stress levels, with scores ranging from to These high figures highlight persistent challenges for drivers in these areas, largely driven by heavy car dependency — , . Additionally, Leitrim has local reports of sparse road infrastructure and that contributes driver stress in this Irish county. (ranked 7th) – while not one of the most congested Polish cities overall, , with drivers spending notable time in traffic and major roadways such as the S86 and A4 seeing heavy daily traffic volumes that can contribute to the stress score of 53.6%. Similarly, (ranked 13th) has drivers spending approximately , contributing to its stress score of 50.3% in 2025. (ranked 8th) faces notorious congestion as one of Europe’s most crowded cities, with drivers spending significantly more time in gridlock and due to slow traffic. Spain’s capital; (15th) suffers from heavy congestion, with a . Narrow streets and persistent traffic, especially in areas like make every day driving slow and stressful. Similarly, in Bilbao, in Spain (ranked 20th) on key routes like the A‑8 and BI‑30, causing extended queues and slow movement, which contributes to stressful driving conditions.Parking also contributes to driver and fleet management stress, as limited availability, high demand, and restrictive regulations across Europe’s cities which can delay journeys, increase frustration, and complicate route planning.Also, through social listening, we have collected data on the cities where drivers experience the across Europe, specifically in Romania, Poland, Spain, and the UK. Paying attention to these areas is important for fleet operators, as limited parking availability, high demand, and urban congestion can disrupt schedules, increase delays, and affect driver wellbeing.Our research shows the highest parking stress in Europe is in (83.3%) and (80%) facing issues like limited urban parking spaces and high vehicle density. Similarly, in the UK, (65.3%), (64.4%), and (63.9%) are the cities with the most parking stress for motorists. These located struggle with restricted city‑centre spaces, , congestion and contribute to driver frustration. Romanian cities and , along with the Spanish cities of and , recorded the within their respective countries. However, compared with the UK and Poland, their stress scores are lower — ranging from to — suggesting more manageable parking conditions, fewer bottlenecks, and relatively less pressure on drivers in these urban areas.HGV drivers face pressures that differ from regular car drivers. Limited parking for large vehicles, navigating narrow or congested streets, and high traffic volumes can make urban driving more challenging and stressful, turning routine journeys into time‑pressured, high‑stress experiences.Let us dive deeper into the factors causing stress for HGV drivers:. Scarce lorry bays and high demand make it hard to find safe places to stop, especially in urban centres. The reports an estimated creating significant stress for HGV drivers who struggle to find safe and legal places to park., creating significant stress for HGV drivers who struggle to find safe and legal places to park. . Tight roads and historic city centres require careful navigation, increasing stress and risk of delays in cities like Prague, Dublin, and Liverpool. Heavy commuter and freight traffic slows journeys, increases travel times, and heightens frustration particularly in busier cities like London, Birmingham, Bucharest, and Madrid. Restrictions on vehicle access, extra charges, and rerouting requirements can complicate planning and add pressure. For example, require some HGVs to seek alternate routes. Height and weight limits, prohibited turns, and time-specific delivery windows force drivers onto longer or less convenient routes. Long urban journeys without access to rest areas, fuelling, or amenities can increase fatigue and mental strain for HGV drivers.Stressful cities create challenges for HGV drivers. Congestion, limited parking, and complex urban layouts can lead to lost time, missed deliveries, increased fatigue, and a higher risk of minor collisions or near-misses.Drivers can manage stress by planning routes carefully, taking scheduled breaks, and using technology to anticipate delays or help with . SNAP supports drivers with tools like the intruck app, helping them locate available parking, plan efficient routes, and stay informed about congestion, reducing stress and making and more manageable.Stressful cities do not just affect drivers — they impact fleet performance too. Congestion and limited parking can lead to delayed deliveries, higher fuel and operating costs, reduced driver wellbeing, and increased risk of fines or penalties. These pressures can eat into margins and complicate scheduling, , and customer satisfaction.Fleet operators can overcome these challenges by adopting and support systems: using real‑time traffic and parking insights, building flexible schedules, and . Available at over 850 service partners across Europe, SNAP’s fleet payment solution is used every 12 seconds across the continent to pay for truck services — without cash or a card.Understanding driving and parking stress hotspots across Europe helps fleets operate more safely and efficiently. By using these insights for route planning, driver training, tech adoption, and risk reduction, operators can reduce delays, improve wellbeing, and protect their drivers. SNAP supports this mission for the haulage fleets, offering secure parking, seamless payments, and tools that make daily operations calmer and safer.