Trunk A-road

A737 traffic and collisions

The A737 is a trunk A-road of 26.3 miles, from Renfrewshire to North Ayrshire. This page covers its traffic at 15 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
15 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 171m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 17,771 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 59,989 M8 to A761
  • HGV share 4.1% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 −1.5% same count points
  • Collisions, 2021 to 2025 73 9.3 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A737?

On an average day in 2025, 17,771 vehicles passed each point on the A737, counting both directions. The busiest section is M8 to A761 (Renfrewshire), with 59,989 a day; the quietest listed is A736 to A71, with 6,867.

Busiest sections, 2025

M8 to A761 carries 3.4 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A737 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
M8 to A761 Renfrewshire · 1.2 mi · HGVs 3.7% 59,989
A761 to B787 Renfrewshire · 5.0 mi · HGVs 4.5% 25,549
B787 to A760 Renfrewshire · 2.1 mi · HGVs 6.4% 23,183
Carson Drive, Irvine to A78 North Ayrshire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 1.8% 14,206
A760 to Council boundary Renfrewshire · 1.6 mi · HGVs 4.2% 12,562
Near Watercut Road (minor road) intersection with A737 North Ayrshire · 9.8 mi · HGVs 4.2% 12,562
Near Watercut Road (minor road) intersection with A737 to A738/A737 (Dalry Road) intersection North Ayrshire · 1.4 mi · HGVs 2.8% 12,521
A737 spur to A78 to B779 Sandy Road North Ayrshire · 0.6 mi · HGVs 2.3% 11,621
B779 Sandy Road to A736 North Ayrshire · 0.7 mi · HGVs 0.6% 10,747
A736 to A71 North Ayrshire · 1.2 mi · HGVs 2.3% 6,867

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

Renfrewshire to North Ayrshire · 26.3 miles

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

A737 traffic and collisions by section

13 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 2 short link roads and spurs (0.8 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Sections Tap a column heading to sort
Sections of the A737 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1A726 to M8Renfrewshire0.423,9963.7%−63.7%0
2M8 to A761Renfrewshire1.259,9893.7%−1.9%3
3A761 to B787Renfrewshire5.025,5494.5%+5.1%167.8
4B787 to A760Renfrewshire2.123,1836.4%+4.5%8
5A760 to Council boundaryRenfrewshire1.612,5624.2%+41.6%fewer than 3
6Near Watercut Road (minor road) intersection with A737North Ayrshire9.812,5624.2%199.2
7Near Watercut Road (minor road) intersection with A737 to A738/A737 (Dalry Road) intersectionNorth Ayrshire1.412,5212.8%4
8At A737 spur to A78North Ayrshire0.45,1621.9%−51.0%fewer than 3
9A737 spur to A78 to B779 Sandy RoadNorth Ayrshire0.611,6212.3%−9.1%3
10B779 Sandy Road to A736North Ayrshire0.710,7470.6%−7.0%3
11A736 to A71North Ayrshire1.26,8672.3%−6.1%6
12A71 to Carson Drive, IrvineNorth Ayrshire0.414,7981.8%+27.0%3
13Carson Drive, Irvine to A78North Ayrshire0.714,2061.8%+27.0%0

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A737 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.

A737 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 78.3% of the vehicle miles on the A737. HGVs account for 4.1%, rising to 6.4% on B787 to A760.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A737, by year
Year HGV share
2000 4.5%
2001 4.4%
2002 4.5%
2003 4.7%
2004 5.1%
2005 5.2%
2006 5.2%
2007 5.2%
2008 5.1%
2009 4.9%
2010 5.1%
2011 5.2%
2012 5.3%
2013 5.4%
2014 5.2%
2015 5.2%
2016 4.4%
2017 4.3%
2018 4.3%
2019 4.3%
2020 4.2%
2021 4.1%
2022 3.7%
2023 4.1%
2024 4.1%
2025 4.1%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

A737 traffic trend

Traffic on the A737 came to 171 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 1.5% on 2019, before the pandemic, and about the same as in 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 26.9% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A737 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 131m
2001 136m
2002 141m
2003 159m
2004 165m
2005 162m
2006 158m
2007 156m
2008 154m
2009 153m
2010 151m
2011 151m
2012 148m
2013 147m
2014 152m
2015 157m
2016 153m
2017 156m
2018 156m
2019 157m
2020 121m
2021 140m
2022 155m
2023 157m
2024 163m
2025 171m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A737, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 13,623
2001 14,185
2002 14,709
2003 16,568
2004 17,206
2005 16,870
2006 16,432
2007 16,208
2008 16,009
2009 15,911
2010 15,738
2011 15,746
2012 15,378
2013 15,330
2014 15,858
2015 16,366
2016 15,927
2017 16,248
2018 16,041
2019 16,305
2020 12,644
2021 14,659
2022 16,253
2023 16,526
2024 16,927
2025 17,771

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 (55.5% of today’s road for 2019). In 2025, 6 of the 15 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A737 collisions

Police recorded 73 collisions with the A737 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 30 of them fatal or serious, including 3 fatal. That is 9.3 per 100 million vehicle miles, lower than the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 0.6 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

Up 43.8% from 2021 to 2025.

Police-reported collisions on the A737 by year: fatal or serious, and slight
Year SlightFatal or serious
2021 106
2022 43
2023 56
2024 97
2025 158

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.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A737, 2021 to 2025
Section Per 100m vehicle miles
Near Watercut Road (minor road) intersection with A737 North Ayrshire · 19 collisions 9.2
A761 to B787 Renfrewshire · 16 collisions 7.8

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

A further 6 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A737 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 A737

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

  • Renfrewshire
  • North Ayrshire

Roadworks on the A737 in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 26 sets of roadworks on the A737 in Scotland, 4 of them under way. 23 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

  • A737t St James Interchange To Linclive Interchange, Paisley

    Lane closed Under way, until 10 Nov 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

  • A737t Linclive Interchange To Barrochan Interchange, Linwood

    Road closed Under way, until 18 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

  • A737t Barrochan Interchange To Kilbarchan Interchange, Johnstone

    Road closed Under way, until 18 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

  • A737t Linclive Interchange To Barrochan Interchange, Linwood

    Road closed Under way, until 18 Sept 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

  • A737t St James Interchange To Linclive Interchange, Paisley

    Road closed 20 Oct 2026 to 31 Oct 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

  • A737t From Hillend Roundabout To Dalry Road, Dalgarven

    Road closed 1 Nov 2026 to 18 Dec 2026 Transport Scotland - SW Unit Op Company

Works in Scotland only, and only where the register records them against the road number. The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland

Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated

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 15 count points in 2025 15 September 2026
Reported collisions Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2021 to 2025 73 reported collisions 15 September 2026
Roadworks Scottish Road Works Register open data Scottish Road Works Commissioner Extract of 2026-09-16 22,074 sets of roadworks recorded in Scotland 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”.

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