Trunk A-road

A59 traffic and collisions

The A59 is a trunk A-road of 110.3 miles, from York to Wirral. This page covers its traffic at 67 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated: 15 September 2026
Data source: Department for Transport
Records analysed: 67 count points in 2025
Methodology: View methodology

Traffic in 2025 647m vehicle miles
Average daily traffic 16,079 vehicles a day, both directions
Busiest section 46,176 A59 to A5027
HGV share 4.5% of vehicle miles
Traffic since 2019 −3.5% same count points
Collisions, 2021 to 2025 829 26.5 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A59?

On an average day in 2025, 16,079 vehicles passed each point on the A59, counting both directions. The busiest section is A59 to A5027 (Liverpool, Wirral), with 46,176 a day; the quietest listed is At A1036, with 6,953.

Busiest sections, 2025

A59 to A5027 carries 2.9 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A59 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section	Vehicles a day
A59 to A5027 Liverpool, Wirral · 2.9 mi · HGVs 4.1%	46,176
M58 to M57 Sefton · 0.7 mi · HGVs 5.7%	40,668
At A671 Lancashire · 1.2 mi · HGVs 3.8%	33,472
A5027 to M53 Wirral · 1.5 mi · HGVs 3.3%	32,961
A677 to M6 Lancashire · 1.4 mi · HGVs 5.5%	31,714
A658 to A1(M) North Yorkshire · 2.6 mi · HGVs 4.2%	27,945
A5147 to M58 Sefton · 1.1 mi · HGVs 2.9%	25,248
M57 to A506 Sefton, Liverpool · 2.1 mi · HGVs 1.3%	24,017
A5073 to A583 Lancashire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.4%	20,347
A1176 Water End to A1237 York · 1.3 mi · HGVs 1.3%	19,008

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Route

York to Wirral · 110.3 miles

Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A59 traffic and collisions by section

55 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 7 short link roads and spurs (1.3 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 55 sections Tap a column heading to sort

Sections of the A59 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1	At A1036York	0.6	6,953	0.6%	−10.1%	0	–
2	The Mount to Dalton TerraceYork	0.2	8,986	1.9%	−6.5%	4	–
3	Dalton Terrace to A1176 Water EndYork	1.0	13,539	2.6%	−24.2%	16	66.8
4	A1176 Water End to A1237York	1.3	19,008	1.3%	−3.7%	15	34.4
5	A1237 to A168York, North Yorkshire	10.0	16,337	5.4%	−12.2%	40	13.9
6	A168 to A1M roundaboutNorth Yorkshire	0.3	17,396	4.9%	−5.7%	4	–
7	A658 to A1(M)North Yorkshire	2.6	27,945	4.2%	−5.4%	14	11.4
8	Manse Lane to A6055North Yorkshire	1.9	8,141	2.8%	–	7	–
9	A6055 to A6040North Yorkshire	2.5	11,871	1.5%	+3.1%	36	72.1
10	A6040 to A61North Yorkshire	1.6	17,121	2.1%	−1.6%	22	45.4
11	A61 to Stonecrop Drive, HarrogateNorth Yorkshire	1.0	13,531	6.0%	−5.6%	4	–
12	Stonecrop Drive, Harrogate to A65(T)North Yorkshire	17.8	9,799	6.8%	−6.1%	78	25.5
13	A65(T) to A6069North Yorkshire	0.7	14,443	6.6%	−11.3%	13	73.2
14	A6069 to A56North Yorkshire	2.2	17,054	5.0%	−9.2%	4	–
15	A56 to A682North Yorkshire, Lancashire	7.1	7,032	5.6%	−4.8%	12	14.0
16	At A682Lancashire	0.2	11,116	7.3%	+2.5%	fewer than 3	–
17	A682 to A671Lancashire	6.2	9,349	7.2%	−6.3%	14	13.7
18	At A671Lancashire	2.5	17,546	7.3%	+3.8%	4	–
19	At A671Lancashire	1.2	33,472	3.8%	+3.8%	9	–
20	A671 to A666Lancashire	2.7	16,522	5.1%	+4.5%	14	15.6
21	A666 to B6245Lancashire	2.7	13,070	7.2%	+2.1%	6	–
22	B6582 to A677Lancashire	5.1	15,937	5.8%	+18.8%	25	17.5
23	A677 to M6Lancashire	1.4	31,714	5.5%	−3.8%	14	18.4
24	A59 principal to M6 mid-junctionLancashire	0.4	22,334	2.3%	−5.9%	7	–
25	A59 trunk to Glenluce DriveLancashire	0.4	22,334	2.3%	−5.9%	4	–
26	Glenluce Drive to A5085Lancashire	0.4	23,674	2.3%	−5.9%	7	–
27	A5085 to A6Lancashire	1.1	16,810	1.5%	−3.3%	62	189.7
28	A6 to A583Lancashire	0.3	19,323	2.0%	−15.1%	9	–
29	A583 to A5071Lancashire	0.1	20,347	1.4%	−12.6%	7	–
30	A5073 to A583Lancashire	0.6	20,347	1.4%	−12.6%	15	68.5
31	A565Lancashire	7.3	17,910	3.1%	–	41	18.4
32	A565 to A581Lancashire	2.0	9,086	7.3%	−6.3%	fewer than 3	–
33	A581 to A5209Lancashire	4.2	9,040	6.8%	−6.9%	34	50.9
34	A5209 to B5319 Burscough RdLancashire	1.7	16,394	4.6%	+19.4%	17	36.2
35	B5319 Burscough Rd to A570(T)Lancashire	0.6	12,186	5.2%	+16.5%	10	90.7
36	B5197 to A570Lancashire	0.6	16,598	4.1%	+11.1%	5	–
37	B5319/B5197 to B5195Lancashire	1.1	18,956	3.5%	+3.4%	4	–
38	B5195 to Winifred LaneLancashire	0.3	19,239	3.2%	+1.5%	3	–
39	Winifred Lane, Ormskirk to Kenyons LaneLancashire, Sefton	2.2	17,139	3.4%	−3.1%	10	15.4
40	Kenyons Lane to A5147Sefton	0.6	17,910	2.8%	−9.8%	5	–
41	At A5147Sefton	0.4	23,237	2.8%	−7.6%	fewer than 3	–
42	A5147 to M58Sefton	1.1	25,248	2.9%	+7.9%	21	42.5
43	M58 to M57Sefton	0.7	40,668	5.7%	−14.3%	10	15.8
44	M57 to A506Sefton, Liverpool	2.1	24,017	1.3%	−0.7%	33	36.8
45	A506 to A566Liverpool	0.2	30,094	0.9%	−2.1%	15	–
46	A566 to A5098Liverpool	0.3	22,041	1.8%	+7.8%	5	–
47	A5098 to A5058Liverpool	0.8	17,649	1.2%	−6.3%	33	132.1
48	A5058 to A5038Liverpool	0.4	18,452	1.1%	+3.1%	13	–
49	A5038 to A5050Liverpool	0.8	17,239	0.8%	+1.9%	31	133.0
50	A5050 to A5089Liverpool	0.2	11,058	1.1%	−9.4%	fewer than 3	–
51	A5089 to A5054Liverpool	0.4	23,939	2.5%	+10.8%	11	–
52	A5054 to A567Liverpool	0.1	19,544	2.2%	−13.5%	3	–
53	A567 to Link road to Kingsway (tunnel)Liverpool	0.4	36,947	4.6%	−3.0%	13	–
54	A59 to A5027Liverpool, Wirral	2.9	46,176	4.1%	–	fewer than 3	–
55	A5027 to M53Wirral	1.5	32,961	3.3%	–	0	–

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A59 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.

A59 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 79.2% of the vehicle miles on the A59. HGVs account for 4.5%, rising to 7.3% on At A671.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Share of vehicle miles on the A59 by vehicle type
Category	Share
Cars and taxis	79.2%
Vans (LGVs)	15.2%
HGVs	4.5%
Motorcycles	0.6%
Buses and coaches	0.5%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A59, by year
Year	HGV share
2000	6.6%
2001	6.4%
2002	6.0%
2003	6.3%
2004	6.2%
2005	6.0%
2006	6.1%
2007	6.2%
2008	5.7%
2009	5.3%
2010	5.2%
2011	5.1%
2012	4.7%
2013	4.7%
2014	4.7%
2015	4.8%
2016	4.8%
2017	4.8%
2018	4.7%
2019	4.6%
2020	5.5%
2021	5.2%
2022	4.9%
2023	4.8%
2024	4.6%
2025	4.5%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A59 traffic trend

Traffic on the A59 came to 647 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 3.5% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 1.6% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 10.6% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A59 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year	Vehicle miles
2000	537m
2001	544m
2002	543m
2003	549m
2004	592m
2005	649m
2006	661m
2007	646m
2008	648m
2009	647m
2010	637m
2011	647m
2012	646m
2013	635m
2014	631m
2015	638m
2016	646m
2017	657m
2018	667m
2019	682m
2020	507m
2021	573m
2022	622m
2023	637m
2024	647m
2025	647m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A59, weighted by link length, by year
Year	Vehicles a day
2000	14,020
2001	14,213
2002	13,625
2003	13,773
2004	14,867
2005	16,292
2006	16,598
2007	16,225
2008	16,276
2009	16,236
2010	15,988
2011	16,246
2012	16,217
2013	15,955
2014	15,840
2015	16,021
2016	16,230
2017	16,411
2018	16,444
2019	16,823
2020	12,669
2021	14,271
2022	15,483
2023	15,872
2024	16,073
2025	16,079

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

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 (88.8% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 8 of the 67 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A59 collisions

Police recorded 829 collisions with the A59 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 262 of them fatal or serious, including 14 fatal. That is 26.5 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 1.5 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

Up 24.8% from 2021 to 2025.

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

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.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A59, 2021 to 2025
Section	Per 100m vehicle miles
A5085 to A6 Lancashire · 62 collisions	189.7
A5038 to A5050 Liverpool · 31 collisions	133.0
A5098 to A5058 Liverpool · 33 collisions	132.1
B5319 Burscough Rd to A570(T) Lancashire · 10 collisions	90.7
A65(T) to A6069 North Yorkshire · 13 collisions	73.2
A6055 to A6040 North Yorkshire · 36 collisions	72.1
A5073 to A583 Lancashire · 15 collisions	68.5
Dalton Terrace to A1176 Water End York · 16 collisions	66.8

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated 15 Sept 2026

A further 191 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A59 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 A59

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

York
North Yorkshire
Lancashire
Sefton
Liverpool
Wirral

Planned closures on the A59 in England

National Highways has 11 planned closures on the A59 between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, all of them starting in that period. 3 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 10 start between 7pm and 6am.

Lane or slip A5036 Eastbound Lane 3 closure from (Packet Steamer to A59)

16 Sept 20:00 to 24 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects A5036, A5758, M57
Lane or slip A5036 Eastbound Lane 3 closure from (Packet Steamer to A59)

17 Sept 20:00 to 24 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects A5036, A5758, M57
Lane or slip A5036 Eastbound Copy Lane through Switch Island lane 3 closure

19 Sept 20:00 to 20 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects A5036
Carriageway M57 Northbound to A5036 link road closure

19 Sept 20:00 to 30 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance Also affects A5036, A5758, M57
Lane or slip A5036 Eastbound lane 1 closure (Copy Lane to Switch Island)

20 Sept, 09:00 to 17:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects A5036
Carriageway M57 Northbound to A5036 link road closure

20 Sept 20:00 to 23 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance Also affects A5036, A5758, M57
Carriageway A5036 eastbound Switch Island carriageway closure

23 Sept 20:00 to 26 Sept 06:00 Road maintenance Also affects A5036
Lane or slip A5036 Eastbound Lane 3 closure from (Packet Steamer to A59)

29 Sept 20:00 to 30 Sept 06:00 1 of 2 lanes Road maintenance Also affects A5036

3 more planned closures in this period are not shown.

Planned closures only: National Highways can cancel or change them, and closures caused by incidents are not shown. Council roads in England are not covered. Roadworks and closures across the UK

Source:National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 Updated 16 Sept 2026

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
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	67 count points in 2025	15 September 2026
Reported collisions	Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring	2021 to 2025	829 reported collisions	15 September 2026
Planned closures	Transport Data Feeds (DATEX II) National Highways	2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30	2,304 planned closure schemes	16 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”.

How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How busy is the A59?

Route

A59 traffic and collisions by section

A59 traffic by vehicle type

A59 traffic trend

A59 collisions

Council areas on the A59

Roads that meet the A59

Planned closures on the A59 in England

Data sources and methodology

Related statistics