The world's busiest
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• Britain's roads are now carrying more than 87 per cent of the country's goods. Already the world's most congested, they are also carrying 55.3 vehicles per mile—double the density of traffic both in the USA and France.
Figures just published in a report by the British Road Federation show that last year the total number of vehicles rose by 811,601 to 14,097,000, so that on the major trunk and secondary roads of the country there are now only 11.8 yards of space for every vehicle.
The report, Basic Road Statistics, shows that revenue from motor vehicle taxation has doubled since 1960. Last year, road users paid a record £1,269m, including f820m in tax on motor fuel. At the same time, Government and local authority spending on roads, as a proportion of tax revenue, • rose near to the 1964 peak.
But this year the gap is expected to widen again. Total spending on roads in 1968-69 will represent 33.7 per cent of estimated taxation, the lowest return since 1962.