RAC blasts UK Government's poor infrastructure investment

The UK’s motorists are facing increased congestion and longer delays due to a steady increase in vehicle numbers combined with reduced spending on transport infrastructure. A report by the RAC Foundation warns that there will be 4,000,000 more cars on the UK’s roads in the next 25 years, while the UK’s Government has not explained what plans it has to cope with the projected increase in traffic. The report predicts a 43% rise in traffic volume by 2035, with the biggest increase in the East Midlands. The fou
May 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSThe UK’s motorists are facing increased congestion and longer delays due to a steady increase in vehicle numbers combined with reduced spending on transport infrastructure. A report by the 5521 RAC Foundation warns that there will be 4,000,000 more cars on the UK’s roads in the next 25 years, while the UK’s Government has not explained what plans it has to cope with the projected increase in traffic. The report predicts a 43% rise in traffic volume by 2035, with the biggest increase in the East Midlands.

The foundation, working with consultancy group 1419 Arup, identified 96 key road schemes currently waiting for a decision by the 5432 Department for Transport. The foundation claimed the top 10 projects on this list would offer a six fold return on investment. But RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said, "Forget about Plan B, ministers do not even have a Plan A for dealing with the awful conditions forecast for the roads in the years ahead. It is a case of jams today, and even more jams tomorrow. The Department for Transport's own figures show that by 2035 traffic is set to rise by almost 50% and delays by more than 50%. And these are only average figures."

Key projects still awaiting the decision to go into action include: A453 widening (M1 to A52) Nottingham; A5-M1 Dunstable northern bypass, Bedfordshire; A21 Tonbridge to Pembury dual carriageway, Kent; Kingkerswell bypass, Devon; Leeds Inner Ring Road; A38(M) Tame viaduct, West Midlands; A47 Blofield to North Burlingham, Norfolk; Evesham bridge maintenance, Worcestershire; A45 westbound bridge, Solihull, West Midlands; A18-A180 link, Lincolnshire. Meanwhile other projects such as the twin tube road tunnels to carry the A303 past the historic Stonehenge site have been repeatedly cancelled due to cost, despite the massive congestion and major safety issues for the existing link and the impossibility of building the widened road on the surface due to archaeological and environmental reasons.
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Riga's newest bridge improved traffic flow
    May 9, 2012
    An alliance of companies has come together to realise major infrastructure projects in Latvia including its biggest bridge. Patrick Smith reports. Riga, the Latvian capital, has the finest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe and its centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city of some 750,000 people (the country's total population is 2.2 million) is bounded to the south by Lithuania and to the north by Estonia, and is the second largest in Baltic States. To the east is Russia and Belarus.
    Read More
  • Improving road safety in France and UK
    May 1, 2012
    The latest official data shows a continuing improvement in road safety statistics in both France and the UK. However the data also reveals worrying trends in accidents concerning vulnerable road users.
    Read More
  • UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists launches Wheels in Winter road driving campaign
    October 14, 2014
    European skiers may be praying for snow but city dwellers and highway users likely want the white stuff at bay for as long as possible. To help drivers be ready for the inevitable snow, the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has launched its national winter campaign Wheels in Winter well ahead of 21 December, the official first day of winter. London’s winters can be milder than for many other major northern European cities, such as Paris, Warsaw and Berlin. But the UK capital’s rainy weather with t
    Read More
  • Key projects free up Auckland's congested motorway network
    June 14, 2012
    A number of key projects in Auckland, New Zealand will free-up the city’s congested motorway network - Mary Searle reports.Auckland is a sprawling city, home to 1.4 million people, one third of New Zealand’s total population. Until recently, greater Auckland comprised Auckland city, North Shore city over the harbour bridge to the north, Waitakere city to the west and Manukau city to the south. An amalgamation of these various cities’ councils, plus the regional council and three district councils into one,
    Read More

Highlighted Content