LGA calls for more funding and powers to tackle traffic congestion

Councils need same long-term funding certainty for roads maintenance as enjoyed by Highways England and Network Rail

The average British motorist wastes £968 and spends nearly five days stuck in traffic each year because of congestion, analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals

Traffic congestion has a serious impact on economic development, quality of life and public health, the Local Government Association (LGA) warns in a new report. The average British motorist wastes £968 and spends nearly five days stuck in traffic each year because of congestion, analysis by the LGA suggests. With traffic forecasted to rise by up to 55% by 2040, the association is calling on government to develop a comprehensive congestion strategy to tackle the issue.

According to the report ‘A country in a jam: Tackling congestion in our towns and cities’ travel speeds across the country’s local roads continue to decrease, with the average speed on ‘A’ roads now just 25.2 mph, 1% slower than it was this time last year. The report also states that congestion significantly contributes to excess harmful vehicle emissions, which leads to an estimated 40,000 premature deaths annually. Councils need the resources and powers necessary to improve air quality, says the LGA. 

The LGA warns that traffic congestion is also becoming a drain on the economy. The association is forecasting that congestion will cost the economy £300bn a year by 2030 – a tenfold increase on the current costs of £30bn a year. 

The LGA says councils need the same sort of long-term funding certainty for local roads maintenance that is enjoyed by Highways England and Network Rail. The association says funding is urgently needed to help councils tackle the £12bn roads repair backlog and congestion they face on local roads. A Country in a Jam also sets out the case for giving local authorities powers to tackle moving traffic and using mechanisms such as workplace parking levies to raise funds to improve local public transport infrastructure.

Bus travel also needs to be actively encouraged, the report says. It argues that the government needs to fully fund concessionary fares schemes and give councils control over the Bus Service Operators’ Grant, a fuel duty rebate currently paid directly to bus operators.

Judith Blake, LGA transport spokeswoman, said: “Congestion can have a significant impact on our towns, cities and communities, and act as a drag on local growth. Worse still, it can lead to toxic air and reduced quality of life. Councils are working hard to combat traffic and congestion. But they need long-term consistent funding to invest in local roads and need greater powers to solve the problem and introduce attractive alternatives to car journeys, such as through public transport, walking and cycling. This will help those that need to use the roads as well as those that have to live with the consequences of congestion.”

The report points out that government is currently drafting legislation on transitioning towards electric and autonomous vehicles. The LGA says that it is not clear how this will impact on the transport networks of?the future. “It is conceivable that a future of connected and autonomous vehicles would be able to smartly manage their routes, adjusting in real-time to make the best use?of road capacity,” says Blake. “It is also conceivable that the reduction in the cost of travel could make travel so cheap that people do far more whilst undermining the viability of public transport.”

Case studies

The report presents several case studies covering themes such as workplace parking levies, encouraging bus use, harnessing technology and tackling poor air quality. Case studies include: 

Workplace parking levy, Nottingham

Nottingham’s workplace parking levy became operational in 2012. It implemented the scheme ?for employers with more than 11 parking spaces. It set the charge initially at £288 per space per year. Employers are allowed to pass the charge onto employees who use the spaces and about 53% of the spaces covered currently do so. There was an immediate impact as employers sought to reduce their liability, with eligible parking places decreasing by 17.5% in the run up to implementation.

The charge is reviewed annually and increases at the rate of inflation. The charge raised £9.3m in 2015/16, which has been invested in a major set?of improvements to Nottingham’s public transport, including the second phase of the city’s tram network. The tram improvements led to an immediate £100m boost into the local economy as well as further long term benefits. Public transport patronage in Nottingham is increasing as a share of total journeys, accounting for over 40% of journeys taken in Nottingham.

Unlike the rest of England’s core cities, the number of car miles is in decline. There has also been no evidence of an adverse economic impact as a result of the changes. Nottingham has experienced a growth in the commercial property market as well as significant jobs growth throughout the period that the charge has been in effect.

Diesel charging, Westminster

Westminster City Council is trialling parking incentives to reduce the number of diesel vehicles on their streets. The Marylebone area is one of the worst areas in the country for air pollution.  As part of a pilot programme pay & display parking charges have been increased by 50 per cent for diesel cars using Section 122 of the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act. The scheme is seeking to implement a ‘polluter pays’ principle for an area that suffers from high levels of nitrogen dioxide. It is hoped that additional costs for diesels will make people reconsider their travel choices in central London. The pilot 50% surcharge for diesel will also provide valuable insight into how the policy works practically and whether there are positive behavioural changes from it that could be replicated elsewhere. The borough also simultaneously invested in its electric vehicle infrastructure and freight consolidation.

Congestion beating apps, Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire County Council hopes to pre-empt congestion in its local area by developing smart technology to anticipate build-ups of traffic, and diverting drivers away from heavily used roads. One example is a council partnership with Waze, a crowdsourced, real-time satnav app, launched by the UK Connected Citizens Partnership. This project encourages drivers to submit locations of congestion hotspots so they can be tackled as soon as possible. 

Bus priorities, Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Council has been actively prioritising schemes to increase bus usage. The city now has extensive bus network, with 20km of bus lanes and 3,000 operate along the key corridors in and out of the city. Brighton and Have now have the highest levels of bus use per head of population outside London. The city council also uses real time information for passengers to increase the amount of people travelling on buses, by allowing passengers to know exactly how far away the next bus is, which has also enabled the council to monitor the performance of their public transport.