It's official: traffic jams really are getting worse
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• Rush-hour traffic has slowed up by nearly 12% in just three years—costing hauliers millions of extra pounds in longer journey times.
Increased congestion between 1995 and 998 has reduced traffic speeds by nearly 6mph to just 451mph on English trunk roads, according to statistics published last week by the Government. Last year drivers spent an average of 20% of their time in morning rush-hours doing less than 20mph, with 50% of their time at speeds above 50mph.
Hauliers suffered worst in
London during morning and evening rush-hours but average trunk road speeds between 10:00hrs and 16:00hrs were highest in the South-East. Drivers in the South-West had the fastest journey times.
If traffic continues to slow at the same rate, operators could be facing average speeds in the morning of just over 30mph by 2007, adding significantly to the current £20bn estimate of congestion costs for UK industry.
The Freight Transport Association estimates that ft costs operators 125 an hour for
each 38-tonner stuck in traffic. Simon Chapman, FTA information services manager, says: "It's bad enough that traffic is getting slower but on top of that, industry has the total variability ofjourney times."
Junior Transport Minister Lord Whitty says the statistics are proof that better public transport is needed as well as attempts to find "new and innovative transport solutions".
• The Government Is to experiment with electronic road tolls in Leeds and near Edinburgh (CM 24-30 June).