Oxford has unsurprisingly been confirmed as one of the worst cities in the country for getting to work.

Only people living and working in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh spend more time commuting, a study found.

Of 29 cities surveyed nationwide, the city of dreaming spires came fourth.

The survey found that commuters in Oxford took an average 51 minutes travelling to and from work every day, or four hours, 15 minutes, each week.

Birmingham — infamous for Spaghetti Junction on the M6 — topped the list with a commuting time of 61 minutes.

Residents of Plymouth have the quickest journeys, with an average travelling time of 30 minutes.

Barry Wheatley, chairman of the Oxfordshire Federation of Small Businesses, said it did not surprise him Oxford came out so poorly.

He said: "I run a small taxi firm in Woodstock and congestion is certainly a big issue — it's the same for couriers.

"I have to make huge allowances during rush-hour. Instead of getting to the next job, I always have to allow 20 minutes to half-an-hour getting out of Oxford. It's frustrating for customers, too.

"The council has improved the roads around the city, but the traffic's getting worse and worse.

"When you have a place as historic and with as many waterways as Oxford, it's very difficult to find a solution. But we have to be careful not to exacerbate the problem."

Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport, admitted congestion was one of the biggest problems the city faced.

He said: "I think the survey proves Oxford is a place where people want to live and want to work, which is positive for the county but is always going to create problems.

"We're making as many improvements as we can, within the confines of a historic medieval city, where all the roads converge on a central point. Oxford is always going to attract business and people and it's always going to be a growing economy.

"It's a challenge to get the balance right between growth and easing the congestion, but we hope the improvements we are planning will reduce congestion."

Mr Hudspeth said he sometimes caught the bus or cycled into Oxford if he was working at County Hall all day. He added: "Sometimes it's very difficult, with evening meetings, but we want to make it as easy as possible for people to come into Oxford without having to use the car."

Council spokesman Paul Smith explained some of the reasons why Oxford had featured so highly on the list. He said unlike cities like Plymouth and Coventry, Oxford was not bombed during the Second World War.

He said: "Oxford was lucky to retain its charm. The only negative side-effect is that it retained an old road layout.

"If the council could plan from scratch from now, it may not have five radial routes all converging on one central point, as is currently the case."

The council this week revealed major plans to pedestrianise key city centre streets and divert buses as part of efforts to improve the environment.

ESRI (UK) surveyed more than 3,000 people across the county to compile the report.

  • As an experiment editorial staff at the Oxford Mail travelled from Barracks Lane in East Oxford to our Osney Mead offices using four modes of transport. They left Barracks Lane at 8.30am. For the return journey, they left Osney Mead at 5.30pm.

Reporter Fran Bardsley went by bike, with her round trip totalling 40 minutes, 51 seconds: "I have always thought the quickest way to get around Oxford was by bike, but I was surprised just how much quicker it was than driving and catching the bus.

"The good thing about going by bike is you are largely unaffected by the traffic and there is nothing like the feeling of soaring past motionless cars.

"That said, going by bike is not always the nicest journey. Pedestrians often walk out in front of you, and sometimes buses swing out."

Reporter George Hamilton drove his car, which took him one hour, six minutes, 43 seconds: "I was held up in Howard Street for a minute by a rubbish lorry, so I made a quick detour via Charles Street to Iffley Road.

"Once I got to Weirs Lane I had to wait through three green traffic lights to reach Abingdon Road, due to traffic coming up off the ring road. The rest of the journey was slow but constantly moving.

"On the way home, you are always guaranteed a queue in Botley Road and I had a 10-minute wait in Donnington Bridge Road."

Reporter Tom Shepherd caught the bus, with a short walk at either end of his journey, taking a total of one hour, five minutes and 52 seconds: "I have only taken the bus half a dozen times since moving to Oxford in January and it was interesting to know my journey time was almost exactly the same as George's, who drove.

"It took four minutes to walk to the bus stop in Cowley Road.I waited less than a minute for a No 5 to the railway station.

"It was very crowded and it was three or four minutes before we set off, because a woman was arguing with the bus driver over whether she could use her concessionary bus pass.

"Most people alighted in High Street and the rest of the journey to Frideswide Square was more comfortable. It then took less than 10 minutes to walk to Osney Mead."

Deputy news editor Tim Hobden walked, which took him one hour, 19 minutes and 33 seconds: "I started working in Oxford about 20 months ago. But I gave up driving the two-and-a-half miles to work after about a month, when I realised that I had managed to beat a colleague on foot one day.

"I tried the bus when it was raining but it only cut about 15 minutes off the journey time.

"It's great walking though the centre of Oxford on a summer's day and I often pick up stories."