A-road
A229 traffic and collisions
The A229 is an A-road of 31.7 miles, from Medway to East Sussex. This page covers its traffic at 21 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 246m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 21,274 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 71,866 M20 to link road to M2
- HGV share 3.2% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 +1.6% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 448 38.8 per 100m vehicle miles
How busy is the A229?
On an average day in 2025, 21,274 vehicles passed each point on the A229, counting both directions. The busiest section is M20 to link road to M2 (Kent), with 71,866 a day; the quietest listed is B2086 Swattenden Lane to A268, with 7,329.
Busiest sections, 2025
M20 to link road to M2 carries 3.4 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| M20 to link road to M2 Kent · 2.9 mi · HGVs 3.0% | 71,866 |
| A230 to B2097 Medway, Kent · 1.3 mi · HGVs 0.8% | 43,113 |
| A229 link road to M2 to Walderslade Woods Kent · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.7% | 39,278 |
| M20 Junction 6 to Sandling Road roundabout Kent · 1.7 mi · HGVs 2.7% | 39,005 |
| Sandling Road roundabout to A20 Kent · 0.9 mi · HGVs 2.8% | 38,421 |
| A274 to A229 Sheal's Crescent Kent · 0.6 mi · HGVs 3.4% | 31,840 |
| A2 to A230 Medway · 1.9 mi · HGVs 0.8% | 13,448 |
| Junction B2079/A229 to Junction A275/A229 Kent · 4.3 mi · HGVs 6.3% | 12,206 |
| A229 Loose Rd to A249 Kent · 0.6 mi · HGVs 4.3% | 11,750 |
| Headcorn Rd to B2079 Kent · 3.3 mi · HGVs 3.8% | 9,973 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
Medway to East Sussex · 31.7 miles
A229 traffic and collisions by section
16 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 3 short link roads and spurs (1.0 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.
Show all 16 sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A2 to A230Medway | 13,448 | 35 |
| 2 | A230 to B2097Medway, Kent | 43,113 | 20 |
| 3 | A229 link road to M2 to Walderslade WoodsKent | 39,278 | 6 |
| 4 | M20 to link road to M2Kent | 71,866 | 71 |
| 5 | M20 Junction 6 to Sandling Road roundaboutKent | 39,005 | 26 |
| 6 | Sandling Road roundabout to A20Kent | 38,421 | 38 |
| 7 | Palace Ave to St Peters St roundaboutKent | 39,827 | 13 |
| 8 | A249 Knightrider Street to A229 Bishops WayKent | 29,503 | fewer than 3 |
| 9 | A229 Loose Rd to A249Kent | 11,750 | 12 |
| 10 | A274 to A229 Sheal's CrescentKent | 31,840 | 28 |
| 11 | Junction B2079/A229 to Junction A275/A229Kent | 12,206 | 58 |
| 12 | Headcorn Rd to B2079Kent | 9,973 | 20 |
| 13 | Marden Rd to A262Kent | 8,790 | 26 |
| 14 | A262 to B2086 Swattenden LaneKent | 9,147 | 14 |
| 15 | B2086 Swattenden Lane to A268Kent | 7,329 | 19 |
| 16 | A268 to A21Kent, East Sussex | 8,377 | 12 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A229 as the first road, placed on the nearest section by their recorded position; rates (per 100 million vehicle miles) are shown for sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more.
A229 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 79.4% of the vehicle miles on the A229. HGVs account for 3.2%, rising to 6.3% on Junction B2079/A229 to Junction A275/A229.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.3% |
| 2001 | 4.2% |
| 2002 | 4.2% |
| 2003 | 4.0% |
| 2004 | 4.0% |
| 2005 | 3.9% |
| 2006 | 3.7% |
| 2007 | 3.9% |
| 2008 | 3.7% |
| 2009 | 3.8% |
| 2010 | 3.5% |
| 2011 | 3.4% |
| 2012 | 3.3% |
| 2013 | 3.4% |
| 2014 | 3.7% |
| 2015 | 3.6% |
| 2016 | 3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.6% |
| 2018 | 3.6% |
| 2019 | 3.6% |
| 2020 | 4.2% |
| 2021 | 4.0% |
| 2022 | 3.8% |
| 2023 | 3.7% |
| 2024 | 3.5% |
| 2025 | 3.2% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A229 traffic trend
Traffic on the A229 came to 246 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is up 1.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 2.6% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 9.2% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 204m |
| 2001 | 205m |
| 2002 | 209m |
| 2003 | 208m |
| 2004 | 211m |
| 2005 | 215m |
| 2006 | 216m |
| 2007 | 215m |
| 2008 | 209m |
| 2009 | 199m |
| 2010 | 210m |
| 2011 | 212m |
| 2012 | 217m |
| 2013 | 219m |
| 2014 | 223m |
| 2015 | 226m |
| 2016 | 228m |
| 2017 | 219m |
| 2018 | 229m |
| 2019 | 235m |
| 2020 | 186m |
| 2021 | 209m |
| 2022 | 225m |
| 2023 | 234m |
| 2024 | 240m |
| 2025 | 246m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 18,294 |
| 2001 | 18,405 |
| 2002 | 18,756 |
| 2003 | 18,510 |
| 2004 | 18,888 |
| 2005 | 19,234 |
| 2006 | 19,306 |
| 2007 | 19,262 |
| 2008 | 18,732 |
| 2009 | 17,792 |
| 2010 | 18,760 |
| 2011 | 18,989 |
| 2012 | 19,458 |
| 2013 | 19,577 |
| 2014 | 19,999 |
| 2015 | 20,194 |
| 2016 | 20,388 |
| 2017 | 19,636 |
| 2018 | 20,031 |
| 2019 | 20,632 |
| 2020 | 16,369 |
| 2021 | 18,377 |
| 2022 | 19,747 |
| 2023 | 20,568 |
| 2024 | 21,057 |
| 2025 | 21,274 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
The chart counts the whole road as it was each year, so new or renumbered stretches move it. The percentage changes compare only count points present in both years (81.1% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 4 of the 21 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A229 collisions
Police recorded 448 collisions with the A229 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 101 of them fatal or serious. That is 38.8 per 100 million vehicle miles, higher than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 2.8 a year for each mile of road.
Reported collisions by year
Down 12.0% from 2021 to 2025.
| Year | Slight | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 68 | 15 |
| 2022 | 99 | 20 |
| 2023 | 65 | 25 |
| 2024 | 60 | 23 |
| 2025 | 55 | 18 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Sections with the highest collision rates
Per 100 million vehicle miles, 2021 to 2025. Sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more collisions.
| Section | Per 100m vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| M20 Junction 6 to Sandling Road roundabout Kent · 26 collisions | 107.4 |
| Junction B2079/A229 to Junction A275/A229 Kent · 58 collisions | 101.3 |
| A229 Loose Rd to A249 Kent · 12 collisions | 96.2 |
| A274 to A229 Sheal's Crescent Kent · 28 collisions | 82.5 |
| A2 to A230 Medway · 35 collisions | 77.5 |
| Sandling Road roundabout to A20 Kent · 38 collisions | 61.9 |
| B2086 Swattenden Lane to A268 Kent · 19 collisions | 50.3 |
| Headcorn Rd to B2079 Kent · 20 collisions | 40.0 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
A further 46 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A229 was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. How we count collisions
Council areas on the A229
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Medway
- Kent
- East Sussex
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic counts and vehicle mix | Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2000 to 2025 | 21 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 448 reported collisions | 15 September 2026 |
- Annual average daily flow (AADF) is the average number of vehicles passing a point on a typical day of the year, both directions combined.
- Vehicle miles are AADF multiplied by link length and 365, summed over every count point link on the road.
- Sections join count point links between junctions, using the link lines in DfT’s major road database.
- STATS19 covers personal injury collisions reported to the police. Damage-only collisions are not included, and not every injury collision is reported.
- Serious and slight figures are DfT’s adjusted estimates, which allow for police forces moving to injury-based reporting.
- Counts of one or two collisions below Great Britain level are shown as “fewer than 3”.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.