UK road congestion worst for 10 years
A Freight Transport Association (FTA) survey has revealed that congestion on UK roads is at the worst it has been for over 10 years
The FTA’s Quarterly Transport Activity Survey (QTAS), published yesterday, illustrates the reliability of the road network has deteriorated at a rate of 55% – which is the lowest it has been since 2002, due to increased traffic in the run-up to Christmas.
The results from the survey – compiled from the results from over 100 logistics operators across the country – indicate the impact of an increase in road freight activity levels in the UK and highlight how the reliability of the nation’s motorway network is declining.
Karen Dee, FTA’s director of policy, said: “This FTA Survey is a clear indication that congestion on our roads has increased again and drivers are getting stuck in traffic on a regular basis. As the economy grows there will be increasing demands, which will mean more pressure to deliver, and more vehicles on the roads. So it is only going to get worse.”
The results of the survey reindorce the FTA’s support of the Department for Transport’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS), announced last December, and its belief that it “can only be good news for all road users”.
The RIS includes plans for £15bn to be spent on more than 100 new road schemes (which will result in 1,300 new lane miles on motorways and trunk roads) over five years, in order to reduce congestion and fix some of the longstanding problem areas on the UK road network.
This funding, however, does not include the estimated £11bn required to fix the potholes afflicting the nation’s existing road network.
