Government announces plans to tackle congestion

The government has announced a £7 million plan to investigate ways to tackle local traffic congestion.

Local authorities in seven areas across the country will share the money, provided from an £18 million fund set up to support the development of transport schemes that feature demand management as part of efforts to tackle local congestion and public transport.

The seven areas are:

• Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Council, North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council
• Cambridgeshire
• Durham County Council (for Durham City)
• Greater Manchester
• Shropshire County Council (for Shrewsbury
• Tyne and Wear
• West Midlands conurbation

Last year, the government’s road pricing feasibility study recommended that local or regional schemes should be piloted to test approaches as road pricing is further developed.

Authorities will now assess the feasibility of schemes combining demand management, such as road pricing, with better public transport, in order to tackle congestion and improve local travelling conditions.

Speaking at the CBI conference in London, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said: “One of the biggest threats to economic expansion we face in the next 10 – 15 years is congestion on the roads in our towns and cities. Congestion is bad for business, frustrates motorists and hurts local economies.

“Continued investment is essential – and by 2007 transport spending after inflation will be 60% higher than in 1997.

“But I’m convinced that without more radical measures, including more effective demand management and actively managing traffic flows, road congestion will get worse. That is why I’ve been very clear about the need to look at road pricing.

“Local and regional pilots are essential if we are to explore and understand the possibilities of road pricing at national level. It’s good to see local authorities across the country recognising that congestion is an urgent problem and that planning to avoid future problems needs to start now.”

(KMcA/SP)