Dependency on cars too great to avoid gridlock

Traffic is increasing relentlessly as our passion for car travel resists all attempts to control it, a government study has found.

Congestion is growing at an uncontrollable rate and the Government’s proposed solution, road tolls, will come too late to prevent widespread gridlock. Almost every aspect of our daily lives, from commuting to shopping to leisure activities, has become dependent on the car, according to Transport Trends, published by the Department for Transport.

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said that the Government needed to focus on capacity on roads and railways now rather than making vague plans for tolls in future. “Far from offering alternatives to the car, the Government has been busy cancelling tram schemes and abandoning projects to expand the railways.”

Stephen Joseph, the director of the sustainable transport group Transport 2000, said: “The answer to rising traffic growth is to reduce the need to travel. When the last bank closed in Liss in Hampshire, a million extra car miles were generated as people travelled to other branches.”

Times Online