News on 27 October 2000
As the Government's hopes that more people will get out
of their cars and onto trains suffer a setback, the Highways Agency announced
yesterday its 10-year strategy to improve Britain's national road network.
As well as conventional solutions, including the building of more bypasses,
information and communications technology is central to the plans.
The
Government's targets include cutting congestion on strategic roads to
5% below current levels (compared with present forecast growth of 28%)
by 2010 and to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured by
33%.
The Agency's proposals include high-tech electronic motorways allowing
active management of individual lanes to ease traffic through bottlenecks
at peak periods and divert traffic to avoid tailbacks and accidents.
New telematics systems will allow the Agency to provide accurate, up-to-the
minute information to road users through a new national Traffic Control
Centre. Advice will be passed on through new electronic signs positioned
at all strategic parts of the network, as well as through in-car systems
and the internet.
The Government has pledged £22bn, sufficient, for example, for the
Agency to deliver 30 new bypasses; widen five per cent of the network
with associated junction improvements and 80 schemes worth more than £5m
to tackle major bottlenecks, subject to the results of multi-modal and
other studies. The Agency will also carry out 100 smaller early action
schemes to reduce congestion and improve safety over the next three years.
