Britain's Transport Crisis: The True Costs

Britain's road transport system is in crisis. In this country where people use their cars more than any other nation in Europe, traffic congestion is getting from bad to worse. The true cost is only now becoming apparent: Britain will have to spend up to £4 billion on new roads, every year for 30 years, just to keep up with the rate of traffic growth-this according to startling research funded by the Economic Social and Research Council, the ESRC.

Researchers have identified key policy areas where changes could be crucial-from charging drivers to use roads to raising the price of fuel and allocating more road space to pedestrians, buses and cycles. Changing patterns of work and growing environmental sensitivities among young people, may also play a key role in resolving Britain's transport crisis- saving the country's tax-payers a fortune at the same time.