Toll roads 'not the answer'

* M6 Toll blasted by report * Journey times only 'slightly' better * Toll roads not value for money...

Toll roads 'not the answer'

Private toll roads are not the answer to the UK's congestion problems, according to a new report.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) report has claimed that the M6 Toll the UK's only private motorway had failed to create a significant cut in congestion since it was opened in 2003.

It has also been claimed in the report that the owner of the toll road Midland Expressway is losing tens of million pounds each year on the motorway that bypasses Birmingham.

Midland Expressway has not commented on the claims made in the CfBT report.

The CfBT also says that journey times on the M6 are only slightly better than before the M6 Toll opened. It claims drivers are being put off by the 5-a-car fee for using the road.

It is also claimed in the report that the Highways Agency is planning to spend 500 million on easing congestion that the toll road was supposed to address.