160bn congestion plan will fail expert predicts
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
MI One of the government's own advisers on traffic congestion believes its plans to spend billions of pounds on improving roads will do little or nothing to speed up journey times.
In a report commissioned by the Council for the Protection of Rural England, Professor Phil Goodwin claims that the 10year/£60bn transport plan launched last year will, at best, Shave a few seconds off most journey times. He also suggests that better roads will simply encourage more people to drive.
According to his research, even better public transport will make little difference to journey times.
"I agree with the government's goal of reducing congestion, but my analysis of the 10year plan suggests this won't be delivered in practice," he adds.
"I think that we can aim to do a lot better than simply holding on to currently unacceptable traffic conditions and that means facing up to the potential for reducing traffic levels," he says, in a reference to the possible introduction of congestion charging schemes.
Goodwin has advised the government on its transport policy in the past but is con
cerned that road improvements simply generate more traffic as speeds increase, negating the effects of investment in the infrastructure.
The CPRE says the report is evidence that major road schemes should be abandoned in favour of small-scale public transport improvements.