Road space dwindles as taxes rise
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• Traffic congestion is still spreading more rapidly in Britain than in any other major country in the world, according to figures published by the British Road Federation. There are now 61.2 vehicles for every mile of road compared with 51.6 in Germany and 49.9 in Italy. The United States, France, and Japan all have less than 27 vehicles to the mile. This means that there are now only 3.5 yards of trunk and principal roads in the country for every vehicle.
The Federation's report, Basic Road Statistics, shows that the number of vehicles in use is 14,751,800 including 11.227.700 cars. According to the latest international survey this represents one car for every 5.0 people, compared with an average of one to every 2.5 in the USA, 3.8 in Sweden and 4.5 in France.
In 1969-70 Britain's road users paid
£1,582m in taxes—well over twice as much as the total only five years ago. Receipts' from motor fuel tax alone amounted to £969m. Road user taxation is also growing rapidly as a proportion of national revenue. In 10 years it has increased from 11.1 to 11.8 per cent, while Government spending on roads has now slipped to less than 2.4 per cent of total national expenditure.
Although there was a slight increase in the total number of people killed and injured on the roads in 1969, there was a further decrease in road casualties per million vehicle miles: 2.91 in 1969, compared with 2.95 in 1968.
Overseas sales by the British motor industry of vehicles, spare parts, etc, in 1969 reached a record £1,073m, an increase of more than £176m over 1968.
Basic Road Statistics is published by the British Road Federation—price 10s.•