RE: Shorter Journey Times As Congestion Eases
Monday 7th September 2009
Are sights like these getting rarer?The report, published in conjunction with the AA, claims a dramatic 31 per cent drop in congestion across all major motorways and trunk roads over the last two years. The reason? You'll be surprised to learn it's not the result of the government's intelligently structured investment in road transport, and is purely credited to the, er, credit crunch.
Shorter Journey Times As Congestion Eases
Rising unemployment means fewer commuters
Trafficmaster, owner of the myriad blue cameras that litter Britain's highways to make notes about your journey, has been crunching statistics for a new report claiming a record drop in congestion.
Are sights like these getting rarer?
"Congestion levels have become inextricably linked to major financial events and the economic climate, such as rising fuel prices and the collapse of Northern Rock," the report says.
"Gloomily, with the increase in unemployment and the report’s findings that nearly a quarter of commuters not currently working lost their jobs over the last 12 months, rush hour is now also becoming redundant, influencing the overall congestion figures."
Apparently, the credit crunch has also delivered another phenomenom, with new spikes of congestion on Fridays, school and Bank Holidays.
"With the cost of holidays in the UK cheaper than abroad, we have seen up to a 50 per cent increase in congestion at these times as additional leisure traffic hits the roads. What’s more weekend breaks seem to be more popular as people are cutting back on the length of time they spend away – Friday is the only day of the week that is bucking the trend of a decrease in congestion levels," the authors say.
A quick office poll here at PH towers suggests the claimed fall in congestion is not making an impact on our journey times that involve the M25. But statistics never lie...
Discussion
Try telling that to those who have to put up with 6 to 8 mile tailbacks almost every rush hour at the Dartford Toll crossing.
Ever since the government minister put the crossing charges up `to ease congestion' there have been almighty tail backs there, costing the country £millions in wasted time, and wasted fuel, and greatly increasing pollution in that area, as vehicles crawl to get through the toll booths.
This is made all the worse as the toll charges were supposed to have been scrapped entirely some years ago.
Just another example of the government trying to screw as much cash out of road users as they can, for absolutely no benefit (to the road user) whatsoever.
Ever since the government minister put the crossing charges up `to ease congestion' there have been almighty tail backs there, costing the country £millions in wasted time, and wasted fuel, and greatly increasing pollution in that area, as vehicles crawl to get through the toll booths.
This is made all the worse as the toll charges were supposed to have been scrapped entirely some years ago.
Just another example of the government trying to screw as much cash out of road users as they can, for absolutely no benefit (to the road user) whatsoever.
Tell these CLUELESS statistic and research morons to get up and leave home at 7.30 am and take a 60 mile drive ANYWHERE in this country and then start their return home journey at 4.30 pm then they might revise their findings.
What would be useful would be a sacking cull of researchers and statiticians - nobody would miss them, and we would be a tad freer then of those daily boring words:
'researchers found...' and
'new statistics published today tell us...'
What would be useful would be a sacking cull of researchers and statiticians - nobody would miss them, and we would be a tad freer then of those daily boring words:
'researchers found...' and
'new statistics published today tell us...'
If this was a government commissioned report then I might be a bit more cynical as they gain so much more by masssaging the results. But what does Trafficmaster gain? Nothing obvious (to me anyway).
Just because a road outside your office is busier or your commute to work takes longer than it did 2 years ago doesn't mean that the entire national road network is worse.
All believable and the aruguement makes sense to me. Oh hang on, I'm on the wrong web site. We're not supposed to agree with the news items here, are we?
Just because a road outside your office is busier or your commute to work takes longer than it did 2 years ago doesn't mean that the entire national road network is worse.
All believable and the aruguement makes sense to me. Oh hang on, I'm on the wrong web site. We're not supposed to agree with the news items here, are we?
J111 said:
If you want to reduce congestion, make driving unaffordable. Therefore all cities should have a £50 daily congestion charge. Simples.
Umm, because £8 certainly doesn't do it going on my 1hr journey just to get out of central London last week!Making driving unaffordable tho just never works - because mostly we cannot afford not to drive, which is why it is so heavily taxed in so many different diguises - and we keep on paying!
Although, at £50 it would nearly be cheaper for me to get a heavily congested train instead!
tobster911 said:
J111 said:
If you want to reduce congestion, make driving unaffordable. Therefore all cities should have a £50 daily congestion charge. Simples.
Umm, because £8 certainly doesn't do it going on my 1hr journey just to get out of central London last week!tobster911 said:
Making driving unaffordable tho just never works - because mostly we cannot afford not to drive, which is why it is so heavily taxed in so many different diguises - and we keep on paying
Assuming the source quoted in the article is accurate, that's demonstrably untrue. 
31% less traffic in the last 2 yrs hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Remind me never to buy a trafficmaster. J111 said:
tobster911 said:
J111 said:
If you want to reduce congestion, make driving unaffordable. Therefore all cities should have a £50 daily congestion charge. Simples.
Umm, because £8 certainly doesn't do it going on my 1hr journey just to get out of central London last week!J111 said:
tobster911 said:
Making driving unaffordable tho just never works - because mostly we cannot afford not to drive, which is why it is so heavily taxed in so many different diguises - and we keep on paying
Assuming the source quoted in the article is accurate, that's demonstrably untrue. Blips like the credit crisis while having an effect, is seperate to the the cost of travel itself, more the reduction in need for travel from a reduction in the economy.
In other words, people are not put off by the cost of travel per-say, but rather and for example, they have lost their job, then either no longer need to travel and/or cannot afford to.
Meanwhile, here on the planet Zob.......
It makes the blood boil a touch when these reports come out.
Overall, yes, traffic has reduced a touch, but no where near 30%. No way Jose!
The A14 (Huntingdon to Cambridge) is still s
t from 0700 to 0659 weekdays.
Perhaps they haven't caused enough unemployment among the car drivers going to Cambridge yet.
It makes the blood boil a touch when these reports come out.
Overall, yes, traffic has reduced a touch, but no where near 30%. No way Jose!
The A14 (Huntingdon to Cambridge) is still s
t from 0700 to 0659 weekdays.Perhaps they haven't caused enough unemployment among the car drivers going to Cambridge yet.
What the dopey government never seem able to do, is think at least one stage ahead, On the news tonight was a report that many (even those lucky enough to still have jobs) are drastically cutting their car use to the minimum owing to increased fuel costs. this means less people are going out to entertainments, restuarants, parks, etc unless they are only a short distance away, so not only do the government lose revenue from vehicle users, but many of the businesses dependent on those vehicle users, go out of business owing to lack of customers. making the financial situation still worse (I think the term government flogging a dying horse applies)
As posted before regarding the Dartford crossing, some idiotic minister increases the toll charge so the crossing makes a bit more cash, but the cost to the UK in terms of wasted time, and fuel, not to mention the extra pollution, is far greater. the said minister should therefore be tried for crime against the UK.
As posted before regarding the Dartford crossing, some idiotic minister increases the toll charge so the crossing makes a bit more cash, but the cost to the UK in terms of wasted time, and fuel, not to mention the extra pollution, is far greater. the said minister should therefore be tried for crime against the UK.
Just complete and utter total bkS, We have all seen how Statistics get twisted one way or another to suite various polices.
I do know of one way to ease congestion at the Dartford Bridge/tunnel. Put in dual window booths for left hand car drivers. Seriously, in this day and age the amount of LHD cars is huge, what with all the eastern European cars coming over and tourists I could not believe I had to get out of the car walk up to the booth pay the little toll
then return to my car, the look of the frustrated motorists behind me was a sight to behold 
As for the £1.50 increased charge, we all have paid for that bloody bridge/tunnels. WTF is road tax for 
kS, We have all seen how Statistics get twisted one way or another to suite various polices.I do know of one way to ease congestion at the Dartford Bridge/tunnel. Put in dual window booths for left hand car drivers. Seriously, in this day and age the amount of LHD cars is huge, what with all the eastern European cars coming over and tourists I could not believe I had to get out of the car walk up to the booth pay the little toll
then return to my car, the look of the frustrated motorists behind me was a sight to behold As for the £1.50 increased charge, we all have paid for that bloody bridge/tunnels. WTF is road tax for Gassing Station | Motoring News | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff