Monday 28th March 2011
Rising fuel costs cut congestion
Congestion on Britain’s roads has fallen by nearly 20% over the last three and a half years – thought to be as a direct result of rising fuel prices and the economic situation – reports the Daily Mail.
New DfT figures show significant reductions in delays on motorways and main trunk roads as well as a drop in the overall amount of traffic. The Daily Mail says that separate data shows that in some parts of the country delays on a number of major roads are down by almost 50% over the last year.
The Government statistics measure congestion on nearly 100 of the country’s main roads by recording the average vehicle delay for the slowest 10% of the journey. Congestion hit a high in July 2007, when the figure reached four minutes 19 seconds per 10 miles, but in January it was down to three minutes and 49 seconds, a drop of 17%.
Mike Penning, road safety minister, said: “The falls in traffic volume over the last two years are likely to be linked to the wider economic situation but we recognise that it’s a tough time for motorists as we tackle the country’s record budget deficit.”
Adrian Tink, RAC motoring strategist, said: “We are seeing record numbers of people walking and biking. Evidence from the last couple of quarters is that the sale of petrol is dropping. A lot of people are combining journeys, making shorter ones and looking at alternatives like the train.”
Click here to read the full Daily Mail report.
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