Britain's increasing congestion highlighted
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BRITAIN'S roads, with 12,939,800 vehicles
in use, are by far the most congested in the world, according to the British Road Federation's annual report, "Basic Road Statistics". just published.
In 10 years the number of vehicles has more than doubled. There are now 135.8 cars, buses, goods vehicles and motor cycles for every mile of trunk and classified road—one to ever}, 12.8 yards.
In 1965, allowing for a fall of 127,000 in the number of motor cycles, the total of all vehicles rose by 570.000. Goods vehicles alone increased by 26,100 to 1,601,900.
The report shows that motor taxation, goods transport, vehicle exports, road casualties and the cost of accidents have all reached record levels.
Motor taxation last year topped £1,000m. for the first time. Road users paid £671m. in motor fuel tax, £235m. in licence duties and £140m.
in purchase tax a total of £1,046m. However, less than 25 per cent of Exchequer revenue from road users was spent on road development.
The motor industry remained Britain's biggest exporter in 1965 and the value of vehicles sold abroad was £493,119,000.
Including those engaged in motor manufacture, road transport now employ 2.596,000 people—about 10 per cent of the working Population. More than 900,000 of them were employed in goods transport. According to the latest published figures, the share of freight carried by road has risen to 85.4 per cent—a total of 1,400m. tons.