#peakcar? Myth or reality? RACF #traveltrends report delves beneath the headlines.

By Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation.

You’ve heard of peak oil, of course, but what about peak car? The theory that here in Britain travel by automobile has plateaued; indeed is starting to decline. It is an idea that is gaining traction in many corners of academia and Whitehall, and confirmation of its existence would have important repercussions, certainly as far as transport policy is concerned.

On the face of it there is a lot to suggest the idea has merit, not least the levelling off of total car traffic which began in the early 2000s and which became a decline as the recession hit.

But what is going on beneath this bald overall figure? What happens when you start to disaggregate the total? Thus far no one had really done the work to reveal the true picture hiding under the surface. They have now. A team led by Professor Peter Jones from University College London – sponsored by the RAC Foundation, the Office of Rail Regulation (for the researchers also looked at rail travel), the Independent Transport Commission and Transport Scotland – has spent months pouring over official transport facts and figures going back a decade and a half. And the conclusion of their On the Move report is? Essentially that the nation’s love affair with the car is not over yet. Indeed millions more driving virgins have been charmed by its wiles over recent years.

As you might imagine the reality is a complex one. Since the mid 1990s there has been a huge drop in company car mileage as the tax regime surrounding these vehicles and the fuel they use has changed. Men of most ages are also driving less with a big decline in licence holding amongst young men aged 20-29. London has also seen a significant fall in per person mileage.

Yet that is only part of the story. Around 2.5 million more women have a driving licence today than fifteen or so years ago. This figure is not simply a product of population growth, but an increase in the proportion of females driving.

And those females who do drive are also doing more miles on a person basis than ever before (though they still drive only half as much as men).

In fact if you take out the collapse in company car use – which could be viewed as a one-off factor which has now pretty much worked its way through the figures – then for those aged 30 and over outside the Capital then car use has been growing, not falling. This group of people represents 70% of the British population. For them there has been no ‘peak car’ effect.

Women in their 30s are also leading the charge in growth on the railways, increasing their mileage by around 80%, compared with national growth of 54%.

Cause and effect are difficult to determine but there seems little doubt that increased female travel is linked to women’s increasing level of economic activity (as men’s declines), the rising age at which they have children, more middle-aged people living alone and increased longevity.

There is also the regional dimension. On the Move demonstrates that London really is a world unto itself. It had the unique distinction of being the only part of Britain where – prior to the recession – there was a decline in traffic.

Some of the reasons for this are obvious: the congestion charge, excellent public transport, emphasis on walking and cycling. But also playing a part are international migrants and the very large young population, two demographic groups who drive less than the average.

Perhaps the biggest unknown going forward is: what will happen to those young men who are not currently driving? Will they decide they can forever go without a car or once their financial and domestic circumstances change will they revert to type and become drivers? A lot hangs on their choices, but not all transport policy is dictated by relatively small changes in individual choice. Some of it is down to sheer weight of numbers. And with the official forecasts predicting a ten million rise in the population in the next couple of decades, it would take a brave person to suggest we should be cutting investment in our road network.

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Is it right London drivers face tolls on proposed Silvertown Tunnel AND Blackwall Tunnel?

So drivers face tolls on the Blackwall Tunnel. Or are likely to if the proposed Silvertown Tunnel – between Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula in East London – is given the go ahead by TfL after the consultation exercise currently being undertaken.

One of the funding mechanisms put out for debate by TfL would see the new link paid for by charges to drivers. The neighbouring, existing, link will also attract charges because if it didn’t, TfL says, there would be a large diversionary effect as drivers would opt for the free option.

The knee-jerk reaction is to groan and say not another unfair tax on motorists and there is an understandable concern that a piecemeal approach to providing new infrastructure makes for a postcode lottery. If you have no choice but to use the Dartford Crossing or Severn Crossing or potentially the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels then you pay a charge over and above your existing motoring tax.

There are two points to be made about this.

First, what would happen if this new infrastructure was not paid for by the people who use it? The grim reality is that probably nothing would happen. There would be no new tunnel and the congestion we see at Blackwall would worsen.

Already the southern approach is ranked as the second most congested spot on the entire British road network and with big increases projected for traffic, driven primarily by population rises and, in the capital, hundreds of thousands of jobs being created, that situation is not going to improve of its own accord.

Second, the money raised could and should be used to fund further enhancements to the road network specifically and the wider London transport system more generally.

The key is that any toll is transparent in its purpose, its setting and its duration. Something which users of the Dartford tunnel and bridge might have views on.

TfL is honest enough to admit that charges would also spread demand. As they put it:

“As well as helping to fund the new infrastructure, we believe that tolling would be necessary to manage traffic demand. A toll would encourage drivers to consider whether they could use an alternative route or travel at a different time.”

While it is reasonable to ask whether drivers could make their journeys at non-peak times (and hopefully benefit from lower charges) suggesting there might be an alternative route seems rather optimistic.

However, the bottom line is that drivers face a tough choice: continue to have a free route that becomes increasingly impassable (a slight exaggeration perhaps, but not an absurdity) or to have new capacity they must pay for.

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The Dartford Crossing. A national disgrace?

Just a personal view, but in my eyes the Dartford Crossing is close on being a national disgrace.

I have high regard for the Highways Agency and those involved in trying to fit a quart of traffic into a pint pot-sezed road network, but this is not the finest advert for the organisation’s work.

This section of the M25 – technically the A282 on this part of the London orbital – is one of the most heavily used parts of web of strategic roads. A staggering 51 million vehicles streamed through the tunnels or over the QEII Bridge last year.

The jams are also near record breaking. Analysis by Inrix shows that the northbound approach is the third worst traffic bottleneck in the UK. Southbound is not much better.

The absurdity is that the congestion is to a great measure self-inflicted. Not by the drivers who have no viable option other than to use the crossings but by those who are trying to get money out of them.

In the 21^st Century is stopping traffic with physical barriers and demanding they throw cash at an attendant or a machine the best way of keeping the nation moving or collecting revenue? No it is not. To be fair, the DfT is working on a free-flow alternative to the current sets of booths to be in place by Autumn 2014, but why has it taken so long? And while the work goes on, so does the frustration for motorists, including myself, when I had to endure queues on both Saturday and Sunday.

In so many ways, the Dartford Crossing gives tolling a bad name, not least because money is still being collected from users even though the charges were supposed to be scrapped years ago when the building of the crossing had been paid for, and also because the service you get using the crossing is abysmal.

The RAC Foundation can see good reasons why tolls or road pricing should be implemented to replace the current system of motoring taxation. To end up with something like the Dartford Crossing is not one of them.

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New #dft #road schemes give astonishing BCR of around 15 to 1.

Money well spent. This is the latest list of improvements announced today by the dft under its pinch point programme. Gives an astonishing benefit cost ratio of around 15 to 1. Details from a department press release

The Highways Agency is to deliver 57 vital road improvements to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced today.

The £170 million investment is part of a £217 million programme to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. The economic benefit of these 57 schemes is estimated at around £3 billion.

Many of the improvements will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, and they will all be completed by March 2015. Today’s announcement brings the total number of schemes to receive investment from the Government’s pinch point fund to 65. A third stage of projects will be announced next year.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:

“These £217 million road improvements prove the Government’s determination to accelerate growth and cut congestion.

“Keeping traffic moving is vital to securing prosperity. By removing bottlenecks and improving access to local enterprise zones, key international trading ports and communities, these road schemes will help get people to and from work and power the economy. They also have the potential to help deliver more than 300,000 new jobs and 150,000 new homes.”

The improvements include an £11 million scheme to widen and improve junction 4 of the M5 near Bromsgrove, with significant benefits for Longbridge, former home of the MG Rover manufacturing plant. It will support a local authority and local enterprise partnership development plan that aims to create around 10,000 jobs and 3,000 homes in the region.

At junction 5 of the M27, near Eastleigh, a £4.9m scheme will reduce congestion by widening approach roads and slips roads and providing a segregated left turn lane onto the M27 eastbound. This supports several local development plans, including Solent Enterprise Zone, Eastleigh Riverside, Southampton Airport and Southampton City Centre, with the potential to create around 12,000 jobs and 7,000 homes.

These improvement schemes form part of the Government’s growth initiative outlined during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November 2011. Funds have been allocated to the Highways Agency to undertake focused improvements to the strategic road network.

Details of the schemes:

Yorkshire, Humber and the North East

M1 junction 41 improvement, Leeds (map ref. 2)
Reduce congestion by widening the A650 approaches to three lanes and creating three lanes on the overbridge. Improving traffic signals and signage.
Supports the Snowhill and other development, which are expected to create 3,800 new jobs and 395 homes by 2020.
Cost £2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M1 junction 33 Catcliffe Interchange, Sheffield (map ref. 3)
Reduce congestion by widening the exit slip roads to three lanes and creating three lanes on the overbridge as well as localised widening to some connecting roads and roundabouts.
Supports the planned new advanced manufacturing park, the Highfield commercial office campus, the Waverley new community and other community facilities. 4,517 jobs and 360 new homes predicted by 2020.
Cost £1.9m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M1 junction 44 improvement, Leeds (map ref. 4)
Reduce congestion by providing a cut-through in the northern roundabout, full-time traffic signals and localised widening.
Improves access to Lower Aire Valley Enterprise Zone and other sites in the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan. Could support around 3,300 new jobs and 300 new homes by 2020.
Cost £1.8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M1 junction 40 southbound exit improvement, Wakefield (map ref. 5)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by widening the southbound exit slip road, using the hard shoulder, as well as some local widening to connected roads.
Suports several development sites that could provide around 2185 new jobs and 85 new homes by 2020.
Cost £0.7m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M18 junctions 2 to 3 northbound improvement, Doncaster (map ref. 6)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by introducing a lane gain at junction 2 and a lane drop at junction 3, using the hard shoulder and part of the central reserve.
Provides access to Robin Hood Doncaster Airport via two recently built dual carriageways, with the potential to create 24,000 new jobs and 5,000 new houses by 2020.
Cost £3.5m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M62 junction 32 eastbound exit improvement, Pontefract (map ref. 7)
Reduce queuing traffic by widening the eastbound exit slip road.
Supports proposed development sites in the area that could generate 1,300 jobs and 314 houses by 2020.
Cost £2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M62 junction 31 eastbound exit improvement, Castleford (map ref. 8)
Reduce congestion by widening and extending the eastbound exit slip road.
Supports proposed development sites in the area that could generate 1,280 jobs and 290 houses by 2020.
Cost £2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A19/A174 Parkway junction improvement, Middlesbrough (map ref. 9)
Reduce congestion by widening the roundabouts and upgrading the traffic signal system.
Supports the creation of 2,950 jobs and four separate housing developments (1,123 houses) by 2020. Crucial to delivering three of the Tees Valley Enterprise Zone sites and supports access to Teesport.
Cost £6.3m. Starts 2013. Ends 2015.

A1/A19 Seaton Burn Interchange and Fisher Lane junction improvements, Northumberland (map ref. 10)
Reduce congestion by improving the A1 northbound and southbound diverge and merge facilities, widening the A1068, A1 and A19 approaches to Fisher Lane roundabout and installing traffic signals on the B1318 approach.
Supports a number of future developments, including identified strategic growth areas, with the potential to create 17,300 jobs and 16,300 homes by 2020.
Cost £6.1m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A19/A689 Wolviston Interchange, Wynyard (map ref. 11)
Reduce congestion by upgrading the A19 southbound merge, widening the A689 west approach to the roundabout and installing traffic signals on all approaches to the junction.
Supports opportunities in three enterprise zones, each backed by a local development order. Two sites are expected to generate 1,940 jobs by 2020. A site has been identified in Hartlepool’s core strategy for 2,500 houses. Also supports export economy associated with Hartlepool port.
Cost £6.1m. Starts 2013. Ends 2015.

South West

A38 Drumbridges roundabout improvement, Newton Abbott (map ref. 14)
Reduce congestion by increasing capacity, installing traffic signals and constructing a pedestrian and cycle bridge.
Identified as a major, high priority improvement in the Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan, with the potential to support 1,760 new jobs and 1,200 new homes by 2020.
Cost £4.1m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A38/A380 Splatford Split improvement (map ref. 15)
Reduce congestion by creating an additional lane for traffic merging with the A38 from the A380.
Supports growth in the region by unlocking significant pieces of land and attracting new businesses to the area. Potential to support 10,000 new jobs and 1,900 new homes by 2020.
Cost £5.5m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A38 Manadon slip road improvement, Plymouth (map ref. 16)
Reducing congestion by widening and lengthening the entry slip roads onto the A38.
Supports major developments in the area that could create 2,350 jobs and 2,735 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M5 junction 16 slip road improvement, South Gloucestershire (map ref. 17)
Reducing congestion by widening the northbound exit slip road, creating a lane for traffic turning left towards the A38 north.
Supports access to Bristol airport and port. Supports growth in places such as Filton Airfield, Patchway and Cribbs Causeway, with the potential to create 6,350 jobs and 2,990 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M5 junction 30 slip road improvement, Exeter (map ref. 18)
Reducing congestion by widening the southbound exit slip road and improving traffic signals.
Supports planned developments such as Cranbrook, Newcourt and Sowton Industrial Estate. Supports development in the East of Exeter Enterprise Area. Potential to create 12,735 jobs and 5,480 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.9m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M5 junction 17 slip road improvement, Bristol (map ref. 19)
Reduce congestion by widening the southbound exit slip road and providing an additional hard shoulder as well as providing a new, dedicated left turn lane on Merlin Road.
Supports growth at Filton, Cribbs Causeway and Patchway. Provides access to south west Bristol, Easter Compton and Severn Beach. Supports developments that could create 6,350 jobs and 2,990 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.1m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A303 Cartgate roundabout improvement, Yeovil (map ref. 20)
Reduce congestion by providing two dedicated left-turn lanes form the A303 westbound to the A3088 towards Yeovil and the A3088 from Yeovil to the A303 westbound.
Supports developments that could create up to 21,235 jobs and 6,640 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

South East

M20 junctions 6 to 7 improvement, Maidstone (map ref 22)
Reduce congestion with signing.
Supports several development sites, anticipated to create 10,400 jobs, and several residential developments, anticipated to create 8,400 homes by 2020
Cost £0.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A27 Ford Roundabout improvement, Arundel (map ref. 23)
Reduce congestion by providing two lanes at the westbound entry to the roundabout and providing new lane markings on the roundabout and associated roads.
Supports several development sites, anticipated to create 10,400 jobs, and several residential developments, anticipated to create 8,400 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.04m. Starts 2013. Ends 2015.

A404 Bisham roundabout improvement, Maidenhead (map ref. 24)
Reduce congestion by converting the roundabout to signalised crossroads.
Supports a number of opportunity areas, which are anticipated to create 6,800 jobs and 2,403 new homes by 2020.
Cost £4.2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M27 junction 3 improvement, Southampton (map ref. 25)
Reduce congestion by widening the westbound exit slip road, providing four lanes on all four carriageway sections and installing traffic signals.
Supports the Adanac Park Development, other sites such as the Solent Enterprise Zone, Daedalus Airfield and Southampton Port. Anticipated to support the creation of 12,670 jobs and 7,015 homes by 2020.
Cost £2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A34/M3 junction 9 Easton Lane improvement, Winchester (map ref. 26)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by improving the signing and lane designations.
Supports the generation of 595 jobs and 2,185 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.4m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

M27 junction 5 improvement, Eastleigh (map ref. 27)
Reduce congestion by widening approach roads and slip roads and providing a segregated left turn lane on to the M27 eastbound.
Supports several local development plans, including Solent Enterprise Zone, Eastleigh Riverside, Southampton Airport and Southampton City Centre. Anticipated to support the creation of 12,800 jobs and 7,640 homes by 2020.
Cost £4.9m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A3 Ham Barn roundabout improvement (map ref. 28)
Reduce congestion by creating a segregated left turn lane from the A3. Entry widths and lane markings will be improved and an additional lane created on the roundabout.
By 2020, supports the creation of 385 jobs through the Whitehill Bordon Eco Town, Petersfield development as well as 2,210 homes in the same development along with those at Liss, Liphook and Petersfield.
Cost £1.2m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

M3 junction 6 and Black Dam improvement, Basingstoke (map ref. 29)
Reduce congestion by converting the roundabout so that a lane passes through the centre, widening on the A30 and improving lane signing and markings.
Supports the 13,220 jobs created by the Basingstoke and Dean and Basing View developments by 2020. Also supports the creation of 4,080 homes by 2020.
Cost £4.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

North West

M6 junction 32 and M55 junction 1 improvement, Preston (map ref. 31)
Reduce congestion by widening the M6 south of the junction and providing three lanes within the junction. Signals will be added to the M55 junction 1 roundabout.
Supports the housing and employment sites designated within the emerging local development framework, and the significant presence of the aerospace industry in the region. Supports the creation of 25,235 jobs and 6,225 homes by 2020.
Cost £7.2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A590/A5092 Greenodd junction, South Lakeland (map ref. 32)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by replacing the existing junction with a roundabout including dual carriageway entry and exit roads for the A590. There will be a two-lane entry to the roundabout from the A5092, allowing for left and right turners to have separate lanes.
The A590 plays an important role in linking east and west Cumbria and so will benefit from improvement of the junction. Supports the creation of 3,700 jobs and 1,265 homes by 2020.
Cost £2.2m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

A5036/Bridge Road improvement, Sefton (map ref. 33)
Reduce congestion by providing a westbound lane though the centre of the roundabout, separating local and through traffic. There will also be new pedestrian and cycle facilities.
Supports Sefton Council’s main economic regeneration sites, including Atlantic Park and the plans to expand the Port of Liverpool. Supports several local development sites, anticipated to generate 4,400 jobs and 1,000 homes by 2020.
Cost £6m. Starts 2013. Ends 2014.

A55/ A483 junction improvement, Chester (map ref. 34)
Reduce congestion by widening the A55 eastbound exit slip road and parts of the circulatory carriageway as well as installing traffic signals to the A483 southbound approach.
Supports Chester Business Park – a key regional economic driver as well as acting as a key junction linking North West England and North Wales. Supports the creation of 11,650 jobs and 1,770 homes by 2020.
Cost £8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M56 junction 11 Daresbury improvement (map ref. 35)
Reduce congestion by installing traffic signals and widening the overbridges and the westbound M56 exit slip road.
Supports large scale employment and residential developments proposed immediately next to the junction as well as the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus. Supports the creation of 15,000 jobs and 2,860 homes by 2020.
Cost £4.5m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M6 junction 17 Sandbach improvement, Cheshire (map ref. 36)
Reduce congestion by converting the existing slip road junctions to a roundabout for the northbound side and a signalised junction for the southbound side.
Supports traffic from local roads to access larger cites via the M6, as well as for traffic from the M6 to access employment sites in surrounding towns. Supports the creation of 14,875 jobs and 1,750 homes by 2020.
Cost £3.4m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

Midlands

M6 junction 9 improvement, Walsall (map ref. 40)
Reduce congestion by upgrading the existing traffic signals, including new controllers, sensors and lights.
Supports access to nearby retail park and residential areas as well as Darlaston Enterprise Zone and potential housing developments that could create around 1,900 jobs and 3,500 houses by 2020.
Cost £0.4m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

A49/A438 Newmarket Street improvement, Hereford (map ref. 41)
Reduce congestion by widening the A49 approach to the roundabout.
Supports the Edgar Street Grid regeneration scheme and the Rotherwise Enterprise Zone. Supports the creation of 7,575 jobs and 3,300 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.4m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A5/A5148 Wall Island improvement, Wall (map ref. 42)
Reduce congestion by widening some of the approach and exit roads to the roundabout and installing traffic signals.
Supports Lichfield’s future LDF housing growth of around 1,300 houses and contributes to restarting stalled employment sites in Lichfield, which could create around 3,185 jobs by 2020.
Cost £0.9. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A49/A465 Belmont Road junction, Hereford (map ref. 43)
Reduce congestion by realigning the junction and adding signals to account for local traffic movements to and from the supermarket and the A465.
Supports the Edgar Street Grid regeneration scheme and the Rotherwise Enterprise Zone. Supports the creation of 7,575 jobs and 3,300 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.3m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

M42 junction 10 improvement, Tamworth (map ref. 44)
Reduce congestion by widening several approach and exit roads and installing traffic signals, along with pedestrian crossing points.
Supports the creation of 2,250 jobs and 1,685 homes by 2020. It also supports movements to major gateways, such as Birmingham International Airport.
Cost £2.8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A50/A500 Sideway Island improvement, Stoke-on-Trent (map ref. 45)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by improving the signing and road markings, installing new traffic signals and undertaking some minor widening.
Supports the creation of 1,105 jobs and 420 homes by 2020. Also supports long-distance trips between the M1 and M6.
Cost £0.8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2104.

A49/A4103 Starting Gate junction, Hereford (map ref. 46)
Reduce congestion by widening the A4103 approach road and realigning the road to provide two lanes on the A49 southbound and A4103 westbound approaches.
Supports the Edgar Street Grid regeneration scheme and the Rotherwise Enterprise Zone. Supports the creation of 7,575 jobs and 3,300 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A5 Edgebold roundabout improvement, Shrewsbury (map ref. 47)
Reduce congestion by widening the approaches to the junction and revising the signage and road markings.
Supports the creation of 2,045 jobs and 1,810 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.4m. Start 2014. End 2014.

M42 junction 6 improvement, Solihull (map ref. 48)
Reduce congestion, particularly when major events take place at the National Exhibition Centre, by widening the roundabout and its approach and exit roads.
Supports the Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham International Airport and the proposed NEC leisure complex. Supports local economic growth though the Birmingham City Enterprise Zone, M42 Economic Gateway High Technology Corridor and the North Solihull Regeneration Plan. Supports the creation of 4,260 jobs and 795 homes by 2020.
Cost £7.4m. Start 2014. End 2014.

M5 junction 4 phase 2 widening, Bromsgrove (map ref. 49)
Reduce congestion by widening and realigning the roundabout and improving signage and road markings.
Supports the creation of 10,250 jobs and 3,380 homes by 2020.
Cost £11.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

A5 Churncote Island improvements, Shrewsbury (map ref. 50)
Reduce congestion by widening the A458 westbound and A5 northbound approach roads as well as improving signage and road markings.
Supports the creation of 2,045 jobs and 1,810 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.5m. Starts 2013. Ends 2014.

A49 Preston Boat improvements, Shrewsbury (map ref. 51)
Reduce congestion by replacing the existing roundabout with a signal-controlled junction.
Supports the creation of 2,045 jobs and 1,810 homes by 2020.Cost £3.3m. Starts 2013. Ends 2014

A5 Emstrey Island improvements, Shrewsbury (map ref. 52)
Reduce congestion by realigning both the A5 approaches and creating dedicated turning lanes and two dedicated lanes through the roundabout for traffic on the A5.
Supports the creation of 2,045 jobs and 1,810 homes by 2020.
Cost £3.8m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M42 junction 9 improvement (map ref. 53)
Reduce congestion by widening the southbound entry slip road and upgrading the traffic signals.
Supports local economic growth in the Birmingham City Enterprise Zone, the M42 Economic Gateway High Technology Corridor and the North Solihull Regeneration Area. It will also unlock connectivity to a considerable amount of employment land in Coleshill and North Warwickshire with around 1730 additional jobs and 205 additional houses in the area around this junction by 2020.
Cost £0.5m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

M5 junction 2 improvement, Sandwell (map ref. 54)
Reduce congestion by widening the north and southbound exit slip roads, add a lane to the eastern section of the roundabout and improve the signage and road markings.
Supports the creation of 785 jobs and 6,700 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.7m. Starts 2012. Ends 2013.

M1 junction 24 A50 approach improvement, Derby (map ref. 55)
Reduce congestion by constructing a new carriageway to take traffic travelling south from the A50 to the M1.
Supports the creation of 1,300 jobs and 2,750 homes by 2020. Supports significant development proposals in the area, including sites with planning approval. The junction has also been identified as the site of a potential strategic rail freight interchange.
Cost £5.7m. Starts 2014. Ends 2015.

M40 junction 10 improvement (map ref. 56)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by replacing the current southbound entry slip road from Padbury roundabout with a new slip road from the Cherwell roundabout, which will have a modified design. The A43 southbound will be widened and realigned to pass through the centre of the roundabout and new traffic signals will be installed.
Supports the significant link between the M40/A34 and M1/A45/A14 routes. There are significant development proposals in the local area, including the North West Bicester eco-town, Silverstone and Brackley. Supports the creation of 4,300 jobs and 2,000 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.3m. Starts 2014. Ends 2104.

A45 Wilby Way improvements, Wellingborough (map ref. 57)
Reduce congestion by widening part of the roundabout and approach roads and installing traffic signals.
Supports a number of significant employment and housing sites in the vicinity of the junction with the potential to create 5,600 jobs and 3,000 homes by 2020.
Cost £3.2m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

A38 Markeaton improvements (map ref. 58)
Reduce congestion by widening the roundabout and some of the approach roads along with installing traffic signals.
Supports future development in Derby City Centre and housing growth in the wider area. Improvement of the A38 Derby junctions is a key priority for D2N2 (the local enterprise partnership for the area). Supports the creation of 12,300 jobs and 3,300 homes by 2020.
Cost £2.6m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

A43/A5 Tove junction improvement (map ref. 59)
Reduce congestion by widening the A43 through the junction and installing traffic signals.
Supports proposed identified growth sites at Towcester and Silverstone Circuit. Supports the creation of 3,500 jobs and 1,000 homes by 2020.
Cost £3.1m. Starts 2014. Ends 2104.

East

A14 junction 31 to 32 improvement, Cambridgeshire (map ref. 60)
Reduce congestion by widening the A14 between junctions 31 and 32, and installing three sign gantries across the width of the carriageway.
Supports Northstowe Phase 1 development, which will create 582 jobs and 1,480 new homes. Supports the gateways of Felixstowe and Harwich ports. It also supports the outputs from the A14 Challenge study, providing early improvements consistent with the new A14 major improvement scheme announced by the Transport Secretary on 18 July 2012. Supports the creation of 580 jobs and 3,500 homes by 2020.
Cost £7.7m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A1(M) junction 6 northbound all lane running, Welwyn (map ref. 61)
Reduce congestion by converting the existing hard shoulder to a running lane, including installing a sign gantry spanning both gantries along with variable message signs, CCTV, sensor loops and speed enforcement cameras.
Supports local economic growth in Hatfield Business Park, Gunnels Wood Road, GSK, Stevenage Town Centre Regeneration and Knebworth Innovation Park and the gateway of London Luton Airport. Supports the creation of 9,485 jobs and 3,840 homes by 2020.
Cost £6.2m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A1 Black Cat part-time signals, Chawston (map ref. 62)
Reduce congestion by widening the roundabout and the A1 approach roads.
Supports several local development sites, anticipated to generate 4,450 jobs and 11,655 homes by 2020. The gateways of London Luton Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich will also be supported.
Cost £6.4m. Starts 2014. Ends 2014.

A47 Honingham roundabout expressway (map ref. 63)
Reduce congestion by constructing an eastbound express lane, allowing traffic to bypass the roundabout.
Supports several local development sites, anticipated to generate 1,355 jobs and 1,200 homes by 2020.
Cost £1.3m. Starts 2013. Ends 2014.

A1/A47 Wansford junction, Peterborough (map ref. 64)
Reduce congestion by providing additional signage and improved road markings.
Supports several local development sites, anticipated to generate 6,820 jobs and 13,765 homes by 2020.
Cost £0.06m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

A120 Galleys Corner roundabout improvement, Essex (map ref. 65)
Reduce congestion and improve safety by widening the roundabout to encourage A120 traffic to use both lanes.
Supports several local development sites, anticipated to generate 1,430 jobs and 750 homes by 2020.. It will also support the gateway of Stansted Airport with a significant proportion of its traffic using the A120.
Cost £0.3m. Starts 2013. Ends 2013.

END

Notes to Editors
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England’s motorways and other strategic roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.

2.The pinch point programme, announced in the Chancellor’s 2011 autumn statement, is part of the UK Government’s growth initiative with funding of £217.5m to address specific pinch points on the strategic road network. The first tranche of eight schemes, worth £18.5 million was announced in July 2012. A third tranche will be announced next year.

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Get more done in the office by staying at home. National Work from Home day #workwiseweek

Picture the scene. More people. More cars. More traffic. More congestion. Welcome to a vision of the UK in the not too distant future.

The numbers behind this scenario are of a scale that should worry us. The population is forecast to rise by ten million by 2035, with at least four million more cars in the vehicle fleet. Over the same time period – and despite a slight dip during the current recession – traffic is predicted to grow by 44% and the proportion of traffic travelling in very congested conditions will have doubled to 17%. Many places, predominantly those already notoriously well known for their backlogs, will see big increases in the number and duration of traffic jams.

In fact it is not that we have too little road capacity, it is just that we all want to use it at the same time, most notably in the morning rush-hour when car drivers on their way to work, fight it out with parents on the school run and those using buses, bikes, motorcycles and taxis to get to their destinations. Then there are the lorries and vans trying to deliver the goods to the shops that we all rely on.

Clearly the road network is as critically important to the smooth running of the nation as any other utility, yet compared to electricity, water, gas, telecoms, etc. it is often regarded by policy makers as the poor relation, with poor being the operative word. Drivers contribute £33 billion to the Exchequer each year in fuel duty and VED receipts alone. Throw in things like company car tax and VAT and the total soon climbs towards £50 billion. By contrast just £9 billion is spent maintaining and enhancing our highways and byways.

There are plenty of road schemes on the shelves of the Department for Transport that have been shown to offer good value for money and are ‘shovel ready’. Yet given the parlous state of the public finances not helped, ironically, by a predicted decline in the tax take from motoring taxation because of the greening of vehicles, it is hard to see that enough can be done to reduce the impending doom being predicted not by the RAC Foundation but in official figures. Anyway, we as an organisation have never advocated endless construction of new routes and concreting over the countryside.

Going forward we have to be more creative both as a country and as individuals when it comes to meeting and managing demand for travel. And if in the current climate government is unwilling or unable to significantly improve our travelling lives, then it is up to each of us to help ourselves.

Which is where Work Wise UK’s campaign to promote smarter working practices comes in. It is primarily aimed at reducing the need for people to travel to and for work, and to change commuter patterns: just the things needed to make better use of the roads we have.

Technological advancements mean many more people can now perfectly sensibly complete their work from home, or from remote locations, or even while mobile, often making it unnecessary to travel to a central office location on a daily basis. In addition to this changing attitude to working location, more and more employers are recognising the obvious inefficiency of requiring staff to be at their desks from nine-to-five, necessitating commuting when everyone else is doing the very same thing.

As major investment in significant new road capacity is unlikely, and possibly undesirable, so road usage has to be managed. New and evolving working practices, like those promoted by Work Wise UK, will reduce the overall level of work-related travel, and change the times at which people have to travel, cutting peak-time congestion not only on the roads but also across public transport, trains included.

If the warnings are to be believed, the much-heralded London Olympics and Paralympics will highlight the capacity issues on our roads and public transport systems and magnify the failings, imposing significantly increased usage particularly in and around the Capital where most of the venues are located. It presents an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how smarter working practices can have a real and demonstrable impact – if people heed the advice and work smarter over the summer then the roads and tube will be able to cope with the additional load. If they do not, then transport in zones 1 and 2 risks stalling.

The beauty of smarter working is that everyone is a winner; even those who cannot inject some flexibility into their daily routines. Each person who can stagger their journey or avoid making it all together is one less person those of us who are tied to rigid rush-hour travel patterns will have to fight for road space with every morning.

Now that must be something we all dream about.

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PM addresses ‘failure of nerve’ to increase funding and ease #traffic and #congestion

Hallelujah. If for no other reason, the Prime Minister is to be congratulated for putting the chronic problems surrounding the roads – poor condition, predicted growth in traffic volume and an explosion in congestion – at the top of the political agenda.

For too long the transport debate in Westminster has centred on the railways, particularly HS2. But today’s speech at the Institute of Civil Engineering, in which David Cameron said the country needs to be “more ambitious” about improvements to its road network, provided a welcome sign that the Coalition Government does actually care about the mode of choice for most UK travellers most of the time.

The PM added: “We need to look urgently at the options for getting large-scale private investment into the national roads network – from sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and other investors.

“That’s why I have asked the Department for Transport and the Treasury to carry out a feasibility study of new ownership and financing models for the national roads system and to report progress to me in the Autumn.

“Let me be clear: this is not about mass tolling – and as I’ve said, we’re not tolling existing roads – it’s about getting more out of the money that motorists already pay.

“We will take difficult decisions, we will risk short-term unpopularity, and we will hold fast to our vision in the face of vested interests, because our motivation and our duty is to protect and champion the national interest.”

On the face of it he certainly risks unpopularity. There has long been an aversion to any suggestion of the road network being privatised and drivers having to pay tolls. But David Cameron has been equivocal about both these matters.

The idea seems to be that private firms will be given the chance to run long-term concessions on the road network. They will have to pay a large sum of cash up front and undertake to maintain and enhance the road network, in exchange for which they will receive a fee from the government. That fee could well be found from existing motoring taxation such as VED, something the PM hinted at when he remarked, “…it’s about getting more out of the money that motorists already pay”.

A variation of the theme is for private investors to fund new capacity where the public sector cannot afford it and then collect charges from the user similar to the situation on the M6 Relief Road.

The activities of the private sector would be overseen by an independent regulator, already amusingly dubbed Offroad.

What the franchises will offer is a degree of stability, certainty and strategic thinking which has been absent from roads policy. While there is a five-year plan for the railways, and water companies must have a 25-year programme for providing customers with clean and adequate water, those running the major roads – the Highways Agency – live a peculiar hand to mouth existence with their funding left to the annual whim of politicians as part of the Budget process.

Motorists contribute around £32 billion each year to the Exchequer – £26 billion in fuel duty and £6 billion in VED. For that they get a relatively paltry £10 billion spent on the roads. In an ideal world the slice of the pie which comes back to the road user would be much greater. Unfortunately things are far from ideal.

Labour worries that any Pay As You Go scheme is the thin end of the wedge, and rightly asks where tolling on new capacity – which ministers have backed – might end. Would it apply to every new junction, bridge and widening scheme? These are valid concerns, but they are not a reason to avoid the debate on this particularly important topic.

The progress report due in the Autumn should make an interesting read. Particularly if it goes any way to addressing what the Prime Minister regards as the past “failure of nerve” when it comes to tackling this thorny topic.

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DfT predicts relentless rise in #traffic and #congestion

Enjoy it while you can. Believe it or not Britain’s roads have been getting quieter over the past few years, not least because of the economic downturn. The volume of traffic peaked at 314 billion vehicle miles per annum in 2007 and has since slid to 303 billion miles (2010 figure) – the lowest level since 2003.

But the latest official prediction – slipped out by the Department for Transport earlier this year with no great fanfare – suggests the recent drop is a mere blip and that growth will soon be resumed. The recently published National Transport Model Road Forecasts 2011 concludes that:

1)    By 2035 road traffic will be 44% higher than in 2010

2)    Despite the increase in traffic, CO2 emissions are set to decline by 9% from 2010 levels because of improvements in the fuel efficiency of the car fleet and the use of biofuels.

The DfT also looked at high and low travel demand scenarios. Under the former traffic could increase by as much as 55% by 2035, while even in the latter case the number of miles travelled would go up by 34%.

Much of the projected growth in traffic can be put down to population growth (though the demographic profile of the population is also important – older people tend not to drive as much as younger people). However the forecast dismisses the notion that individuals have reached a limit in their demand to travel by car. It foresees a time post-recession when car demand per person will again rise at around 1.2% per annum between 2015 and 2025 (a rate similar to the 1990s) and for the ten years after the growth will still be positive but will fall to an annual average of 0.5%. In the confines of Whitehall, therefore, the notion that we have reached ‘peak car’ is fanciful.

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The end of the M4 bus lane

Commenting on the announcement of the end of the M4 bus lane ( See: Evening Standrd Article) Professor Stephen Glaister, Director of the RAC Foundation, said:

“Most drivers on the M4 will wonder why this decision has taken so long. Road capacity is in short supply and to have an underused lane like this has made little sense. While other motorways have been widened to allow for the growth in traffic, on this stretch of the M4 capacity was actually being reduced.”

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Is it time to design the motor vehicle off London’s streets?

The opening statement made by the RAC Foundation’s Head of Research today at the Royal Academy of Engineering as part of the London Design Festival 2010

‘Well, unsurprisingly some might think, we at the RAC Foundation say No to the proposition that we should design the motor vehicle off London’s streets. Now this is not for some pure ‘pro-car’ ‘let’s keep everything the same’ reason, as this is not the type of organisation we are. As a research based charity we look at the facts and evidence and form a reasonable and responsible position from this basis. I will now take a few minutes to explain to you how we have come to this conclusion.

Firstly it is important to recognise what alternative transport solutions are able to deliver in London and how the car fits into this overall mix. Over the last decade two Mayors and Transport for London have overseen major improvements in London’s transport system: upgrading the tube, more reliable bus services with a denser network, cycle lanes and an ambitious cycling strategy…and the list goes on. One of the consequences of this is a 5% shift from car usage to public transport.

We undoubtedly need to continue investing in public transport, walking and cycling initiatives in London. This is indisputable, but this does not mean we should design the motor vehicle off London’s streets. The car still has a role to play.

It is also important to remember that  ‘London’ is not one entity – there are two different London’s – central London with its radial routes and a doughnut shaped outer London and these two places have very different characteristics and travel patterns. Only 19% of all movement on the roads is by car or taxis in central London whereas 67% of travel in outer London is by car, which is similar to many other parts of the UK. With this in mind there are different ‘design’ options for London as a whole, but to date, there has been too much focus on what can be achieved in the relatively small ‘centre’.

So why is the car still so popular given the level of congestion on London’s road network? Can anything be done about it? In outer London, travel is typically geographically dispersed, so it is difficult for rail to offer an alternative for all but a modest proportion of journeys. The density of movement will also rarely justify a high frequency bus network on all but a few key corridors into major centres such as Croydon, Harrow, Heathrow and similar. This inevitably leads to personal movement being dependent on the road network and this will always be the case in outer London, whatever public transport accessibility improvements are made at the margin. It is also important to recognise that ‘cars’ do not only account for personal travel. Excluding commuting, over 20% of London’s road traffic is directly involved in business activity, which tends to be difficult to shift to over modes.

This is the reality of the situation that London is faced with. Going forward travel demand is only expected to increase with 1.25 million more people and over 750,000 new jobs in the Capital expected by 2031.  As desirable as it might first appear to design the motor vehicle off London’s streets, we need to be aware of what function the car is playing, especially in outer London and recognise that other modes won’t on their own be able to fill the gap. Congestion, environmental concerns (both local and global), social segregation and road safety issues are all legitimate reasons for wanting to rid streets of cars, but the reality is that cars can’t be taken completely out of the equation. Parking charges and more wide spread road user charging could go some way to managing down the use of cars (as suggested by the Mayors Transport Strategy), and there is even a question about whether London’s aims can be achieved without this. With or without road pricing the ongoing smoothing traffic flow agenda is vital for providing a more economically viable road network for the city as ‘roads for movement’ are still needed alongside the development of more liveable streets.

Where environmental issues are concerned, strict EU targets on new vehicle emissions, and the development of new low carbon vehicle technologies, means that a large proportion of all domestic transport CO2 reductions will be delivered by vehicle improvements. There will also be significant improvements made to air quality. Over the past 18 years, particulate matter from vehicles has decreased 53% and further decreases will be secured from the EURO VI standards after which time diesel particulates are expected to equal those from petrol vehicles by 2015.

Difficult choices will undoubted need to be made to achieve viable transport operations in inner and outer London over the short, medium and long term. In the short term, maintaining a viable traffic operation in Central London will be a significant challenge. Difficult decision may well need to be made about vehicle access times, speed limits etc, but designing out the car completely will not be possible. Land use planning to reduce the need to travel will be increasingly important.

Going forward it is vital that the strategic transport issues facing the city are addressed rather than there being a pre-occupation with modally-focussed schemes. Cycling initiatives although well placed, are on their own, unlikely to secure great modal shift from the car. For instance if a quarter of cycle hire use came from  existing car drivers, reductions in vehicle kms would only be around 1%. The expectations of these schemes need to be realistic.

All this does not to suggest however that we should forget the role of behavioural change, it has an important part to play, especially in the urban centre of central London. Roads need to be more attractive for walkers and cyclists, but we ignore at our peril the need for a viable road network. Getting the balance right is difficult, but this is the essence of transport planning – London is no different.’

And the conclusion… the room was marginally in favour.

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To toll or not to toll?

To toll or not to toll? That is the question which has been raised today in response to the Campaign for Better Transport’s report on the success or otherwise of the M6 toll.

Thinking about the issue more broadly, the RAC Foundation which has researched governing and paying for England’s roads extensively believes motorists can benefit from road pricing schemes, so long as any system introduced replaces the existing tax regime.

At present, motorists pay £47 billion to the Exchequer each year and they deserve something in return: more reliable journeys on good quality roads. Without some intervention, road congestion is set to increase for the foreseeable future as a result of an increase in population and wider car ownership. If the way in which motorists paid for their road use were changed and an independent watchdog were developed to protect road funds, congestion could be cut and journey times made more reliable. In exchange for reduced fuel duty and road tax, drivers might pay per mile with rates reflecting the time of day and traffic volumes.

So where does this leave tolling schemes? Tolled roads are common on the continent and are paid for in addition to the existing tax base. They provide users with tangible benefits: reduced congestion and improved journey times. It is not surprising given the economic downturn that fewer drivers are opting to pay tolls and that congestion on other local roads is increasing. Does this mean tolls have failed? or the cost is too much? or does it tell us that people don’t like to pay for something they can get for free (especially in financially difficult times)? What the example does demonstrate is that charging for road use influences peoples decisions.

Individual tolled roads are unlikely to be the answer to all our transport problems, because they operate in isolation without the Governance structure needed to allow the network to respond to user needs. It is crucia that we move towards a different way of governing and paying for road use, which includes and provides potential benefits to everyone. CBT suggests spending more money on alternatives to driving and road maintenance. All good stuff, which is certainly needed – who would disagree? But, we are kidding ourselves if we think investing in these areas alone, with no other change in the status quo will resolve the problems people experience daily on our roads.

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