Traffic on the increase

Friday, November 09, 2007

1.1% rise year-on-year
Car use and motorway traffic are down
Slowest journeys are taking longer than ever

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A Government survey has revealed that road traffic in Great Britain was up 1.1% from July to September this year compared with the same period in 2006.

Although car traffic, which accounts for 79% of road traffic, was down 1%, increases in light van traffic (up 12%) and goods vehicle traffic (up 3%) put the overall figure up.

The bulk of the rise (6%) was on minor urban roads, while rural A-road traffic rose 1%. Motorway traffic actually fell 1%, while urban A-road traffic fell 3%.

The average delay for the slowest 10% of journeys in Britain rose from 3.78 minutes to 4.16 minutes per 10 miles, with the average journey time rising from 13.4 to 13.8 minutes per 10 miles.

Rising road use is one of the reasons the Government is encouraging local councils to impose congestion charge schemes.

Ironically, though, it was revealed earlier this week that the average journey time in London has increased since the Congestion Charge was introduced.