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Potential Gridlock on Britain's Roads

 

(13 January, 2004)

 

The UK Government needs to rethink its policy in order to avoid gridlock on Britain's roads, according to a new report from the RAC Foundation. Whilst major recent announcements have been made on increased airport capacity, and commitments to massive expenditure on railways, the approach to roads has been ad hoc and short-term.

Increasingly concerned by the dire and growing congestion on our roads, the RAC Foundation has identified a list of urgently needed improvements to the strategic road network. To keep to a reasonable and manageable programme the list is confined to those that the Foundation believes are crucial to effective operation of the network. At a cost of around £2bn a year over 10 years the programme would provide very good value for money. Road users currently pay £44 billion per year of which less than £6 billion is spent on roads. These improvements could all be paid for out of half of one year's motoring taxation.

The Foundation has concentrated on the strategic network - motorways and trunk roads - because, even though it accounts for only about 4% of the network, it carries around 35% of traffic, including more than half of all road freight movements. This is the core of the national transport system.

Latest figures from the Government's "Transport Trends" show clearly that the road network has not kept pace with demand. While road traffic grew by 75% between 1980 and 2002, the total length of roads increased by only 10%. [See "Additional Factors", below.]

The RAC Foundation is urging the Government to: 

* get on with the projects already approved - including widening M1, M6, M25, A12

* reconsider their rejection of A27 improvements on the South Coast and the Western Orbital Route around the West Midlands as recommended by Multi-Modal Studies

* reconsider the need to widen key sections of the M4 and M3 which the Thames Valley Multi-Modal Study failed to address satisfactorily

* put in hand a small number of key improvements to relieve problems and improve the operation of the network around the country - for example, A1 in the north east, A5 in the West Midlands, A47 in East Anglia, A64 in Yorkshire

* improve some essential links to fill gaps in the strategic network.

* the Government transferred responsibility for the North Circular Road in London to the GLA. It is a major strategic road. Unfortunately TfL has failed to carry out any major improvements. The RAC Foundation is pressing for two improvements to relieve major bottlenecks and for a short new link between the M1 and A1.

For the longer term a comprehensive review is needed to establish priorities in terms of the objectives for the network over the next 30 to 50 years.

Even if wider road pricing schemes are introduced in the future this would in no sense be an alternative to creating extra road capacity that is necessary to meet rising demand. The Foundation also opposes the extensive Government programme of de-trunking roads to reduce the size of the strategic road network.

In presenting the programme the Foundation presses the importance of mitigating the environmental impacts by putting key sections of route in tunnel through the most sensitive areas and urges the Government to re-think various schemes by considering tunnelling.

Commenting on the study, David Holmes, RAC Foundation Chairman, said; " Our report "Motoring towards 2050" was widely welcomed as a contribution to the transport debate. This study takes our work forward. It shows that significant practical improvements to the strategic road network are necessary and affordable. As the motorist is already contributing some £44 billion in motoring taxes each year an improvement programme of this magnitude over ten years would be excellent value for money. We claim to be the fourth largest economy in the world so surely we can afford a decent road system to support economic growth.

"We need to get out of the current mess by speeding up schemes and setting tight timetables for improvements. The Government needs to broaden out its approach to roads from the recommendations in the multi modal studies and plan for the entire strategic road network. It must not be tempted to prop up the railways with extra expenditure taken from the roads budget and should publish the full economic returns on all road and rail schemes. We also need a new approach to transport planning to meet the longer-term needs of industry, the regions and individuals.

"The Government is right to plan ahead to meet the needs for air transport. We need a similar vision for strategic roads, which carry the vast bulk of passengers and freight." 

 

Additional Factors:

 

Latest figures from the Government's "Transport Trends" show:

  • The volume of road traffic has grown by 75% between 1980 and 2002

  • Most of that growth occurred between 1980-90

  • Speeds on trunk roads and motorways have been falling since 1995

  • The total length of roads in Britain increased by only 10% between 1980-2002

  • In 2002, motorways accounted for less than 1% of road length, trunk roads 3% and other major roads 9%

  • Minor roads make up 87% of the network but only carry 36% of traffic

  • Motorways carry 19% of traffic

  • Trunk roads carry 17% and other major roads 28%

Glossary Footnotes (For American and other non-British readers):

  1. A British "trunk road" is probably best compared with a U.S. "interstate highway."  It is the most important type of road except for motorways but it can be either a "single carriageway" (U.S. "undivided highway") or a "dual carriageway" ("divided highway"). Trunk roads have an "A" prefix to their road numbers.

  2. A British "motorway" is a "divided highway" with stringent restrictions on use, such as no pedestrians, pedal cycles, certain agricultural vehicles, learner drivers (i.e. "student drivers") motorcycles under 50cc capacity, etc. Motorways have an "M" prefix to their road numbers, except for a few that are upgraded trunk roads and have, for example, a number such as the "A1M".

 

 

Source: News Press