Stephen Emerson: faster M8 journey times a welcome development

I plan my departure time from home and work with military precision to avoid the worst ravages of the rush hour period while Google Maps has learned my commute and tells me the fastest route to get to or from the office.

Lately, however, driving in and out of Glasgow has become a less stomach-churning experience and my journey time has decreased by 20 minutes which means on an optimal day I can reclaim a valuable 40 minutes back.

There are still times when a crash will throw large parts of the motorway into chaos, particularly around Bathgate and Livingston, however at the Glasgow end it’s mainly plain sailing.

The ability to connect to the M74 from the M8 and then onto the M77, therefore avoiding the snarl-up prone Kingston Bridge, has made my commute home a much more pleasant experience.

To further improve the M8, measures to ease the congestion at Bathgate and Livingston would be welcome but at present there are no major works in the Transport Scotland pipeline.

However, no matter how many roads we build the problem of congested motorways at rush hour will remain as long as the number of cars on our roads increases.

The problem can only be solved by looking at how and where we work.

Is it necessary for every employee to be at their desk every day?

Perhaps in time, advances in workplace technology and widespread changes in attitudes to remote working will have a greater effect on reducing congestion than building yet another new road will.