Report looks to tackle congestion

15/09/11

By Katrina McLachlan

Road congestion could be reduced through providing more up to date traffic reports and increasing the difficulty of driving tests, MPs have said.

The ability to ease Britain's congested roads without building new routes or introducing road pricing is being investigated by the Transport Committee.

Included in the committee's report, Out Of The Jam: Reducing Congestion On Our Roads, were also suggestions over how to notify drivers of Highway Code updates.

Committee chairwoman, Louise Ellman, said more needed to be done to increase awareness and adherence of the code, improving behaviour and safety on the roads.

Speaking at the launch of the report, she said: "Improving the way we manage road space so that the network runs more smoothly is vital to the prosperity of the nation. Pursuing this challenge should form a key plank of central government transport policy."

Ms Ellman said that it needs to be clearer who is in charge of notifying road users of upcoming congestion, and that "intelligent traffic management systems" should be used more frequently among different local authorities.