New ideas on commuting needed to avoid future gridlock, says CBI

Published on Sunday 14 March 2010 21:54

RADICAL changes to the way people work and commute are needed to avoid future gridlock on the roads, the CBI said today.

A "staggered" commute, car-sharing and working from home would all help ease congestion, it added.

The business organisation also called for more US-style yellow school buses to cut school-run car congestion.

In a report, the CBI said that road investment should focus on congestion "pinchpoints", while there should be greater use of private investment to help deliver road improvements.

The report also said that road pricing should be considered if new roads are built.

A CBI survey showed that 80 per cent of companies see roads as "vital" to their business, and 96 per cent want to see fresh thinking on congestion from an incoming government as a priority.

The CBI said that, with vehicle traffic having grown by a quarter in just 20 years, road congestion now costs the economy an estimated 8 billion a year, which is likely to more than double by 2025 unless more action is taken.

CBI deputy director-general John Cridland said:

"Now is the time for fresh thinking on the roads. We need a radical overhaul of how we travel and manage our road system if we are to do more than simply tinker at the edges. Merely slowing the endless rise in congestion is not enough."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are tackling congestion bottlenecks and keeping goods and motorists moving. That's why the government is investing up to 6bn to improve the national road network … Adding extra capacity where it is most needed will deliver safer, faster and more reliable journeys for motorists."