Reducing Congestion - how would you do it?
Discussion
Invest in the road networks.
Taking people off the roads is not a great solution in my opinion. As this would reduce trade with the many businesses that site themselves along popular routes.
The solution is to not concentrate on motorways, which should be used for long journeys, but concentrate on A and B roads that are used by most people for shorter journeys and commuting.
So upgrading A roads to dual where they can, also building by-passes around congestion areas.
This includes building of more B roads, not only A roads, to relieve congestion areas.
Taking people off the roads is not a great solution in my opinion. As this would reduce trade with the many businesses that site themselves along popular routes.
The solution is to not concentrate on motorways, which should be used for long journeys, but concentrate on A and B roads that are used by most people for shorter journeys and commuting.
So upgrading A roads to dual where they can, also building by-passes around congestion areas.
This includes building of more B roads, not only A roads, to relieve congestion areas.
designforlife said:
Make public transport cheap enough to actually incentivize its use.
I work next to a train station, and live next to a different one.
It would be quicker for me to commute 5 minutes by train rather than a 25 minute drive, but a return ticket on the train costs over double the journey cost by car!
My O/H's commute is 12-18 minutes by train, costs £5.30 a day and she has a ten minute walk at each end. By car she'd be sat in traffic for up to 40 minutes and parking is at least £5 a day. Add on the cost of fuel and factor in the hassle of driving and it's no contest, the train wins hands down.I work next to a train station, and live next to a different one.
It would be quicker for me to commute 5 minutes by train rather than a 25 minute drive, but a return ticket on the train costs over double the journey cost by car!
If people must drive to work, car sharing have attractive incentives to make it worthwhile - free parking and use of bus lanes for cars with four passengers for example.
Dr Tad Winslow said:
Remove bus lanes. I always wonder why im sat there in a massive queue of traffic with an empty lane to my left, maybe one bus every 5 minutes goes down there. I'm sure my trip to work is more important to their trip to the methadone clinic 
+1Which idiot invented bus lanes anyway?
If there is sufficient demand for a bus lane, then fair enough. For example in London, Park Lane and Piccadilly. A bus uses them about every 5-10 seconds. So there is a demand. No doubt other cities - Manchester, Birmingham, etc have roads with a similar demand.
The A4260 southbound into Oxford. The bus lane is always empty so it should be removed so all the other traffic can use the road space and reduce congestion.
The requirement for a bus lane should be that, say, 5 buses a minute will use it.
A journey by bus takes longer than any other form of transport (except walking) so why are buses given preference? Obviously if someone travels by bus, time is not important to them.
Simple - rebuild 90% of the UK road network.
Until then, utilising a mediaeval layout with 21st Century machines isn't going to work to full potential.
Perhaps issue a card with every road fund licence that allows free or massively reduced fares on public transport - this was an idea my Grandad promoted circa 1968.
Unforunately the private car has become a beacon of consumer choice, and moved well beyond a basic travel item.
Until then, utilising a mediaeval layout with 21st Century machines isn't going to work to full potential.
Perhaps issue a card with every road fund licence that allows free or massively reduced fares on public transport - this was an idea my Grandad promoted circa 1968.
Unforunately the private car has become a beacon of consumer choice, and moved well beyond a basic travel item.
J4CKO said:
Always seems bizarre that everyone does nine to five as a rule, ok, not everyone, but so many, then the roads are quiet for hours at a time, wonder if a bit of intelligent staggering of working and opening hours could help ?
Yes but then how do you do business with people if they aren't at work?Riley Blue said:
My O/H's commute is 12-18 minutes by train, costs £5.30 a day and she has a ten minute walk at each end. By car she'd be sat in traffic for up to 40 minutes and parking is at least £5 a day. Add on the cost of fuel and factor in the hassle of driving and it's no contest, the train wins hands down.
If people must drive to work, car sharing have attractive incentives to make it worthwhile - free parking and use of bus lanes for cars with four passengers for example.
It's nice when it makes sense. By contrast, my commute by car is ~1hr - 1hr20m each way, ~40 miles each way. Public transport involves two trains (sometimes 3 depending on departure times), and either a bus or a 3 mile walk / run / skateboard. Bike would be ideal but they don't like you taking bikes onto commuter trains. Total cost is near enough £30 a day, and it's a 2hr journey with the changes involved. This is on the main line from Ipswich to Liverpool St, but there is no train that stops at my stop and at Romford.If people must drive to work, car sharing have attractive incentives to make it worthwhile - free parking and use of bus lanes for cars with four passengers for example.
Even with a not particularly economical car, driving is a lot cheaper and faster. I'd put up with the longer commute if it was cheaper to do so!
J4CKO said:
Always seems bizarre that everyone does nine to five as a rule, ok, not everyone, but so many, then the roads are quiet for hours at a time, wonder if a bit of intelligent staggering of working and opening hours could help ?
Sometimes pondered the same. I'm considering asking my employer if I could work a 10-6 regularly. I could use the extra hour in the morning to walk the dogs, go the gym, maybe get some chores done. Get in the car at half 9 and know that most of the traffic has died down. Same in the evening. Reduce the population!!!
Were an Island, the more people in the countrry, the less space to live in, and the less road space for private transport and public transport. If you try and transfer the cars drivers to public transport, you need to improve it. Trains are full at peak times even at the stupid prices season tickets are at now. Buses could be used more but people don't like sharing space.
The only real answer, across the whole world is to limit the population. Everytime Mother earth comes up with a population culling disease, we manage to beat it. Average age is increasing, birth rates are increasing, the amount of space and resource is getting smaller. The 'Third world' is getting richer and producing more babies.
We all try (well most of us) to maximise our time on the earth. We all try (well most of us) to create our own prodigy, some of us like to make loads of them.... some of us try to make as many as possible and get the rest of us to pay for them!
We are all getting richer, relative to previous generations, and cars are getting more affordable. Equality and human rights says that we are all allowed to use as much resource as we like.... It's a vicious circle which will only be resolved by a Super Volcano, a meteorite or an incurable plague.
Were an Island, the more people in the countrry, the less space to live in, and the less road space for private transport and public transport. If you try and transfer the cars drivers to public transport, you need to improve it. Trains are full at peak times even at the stupid prices season tickets are at now. Buses could be used more but people don't like sharing space.
The only real answer, across the whole world is to limit the population. Everytime Mother earth comes up with a population culling disease, we manage to beat it. Average age is increasing, birth rates are increasing, the amount of space and resource is getting smaller. The 'Third world' is getting richer and producing more babies.
We all try (well most of us) to maximise our time on the earth. We all try (well most of us) to create our own prodigy, some of us like to make loads of them.... some of us try to make as many as possible and get the rest of us to pay for them!
We are all getting richer, relative to previous generations, and cars are getting more affordable. Equality and human rights says that we are all allowed to use as much resource as we like.... It's a vicious circle which will only be resolved by a Super Volcano, a meteorite or an incurable plague.
Make public transport properly "public" prices for rail are ridiculous..
Unless I travel "off peak" trying to get to and from London by rail with a travelcard from Bristol is typically £220+ and that is with the great unwashed ... not 1st class.
Earlier this year I got a return flight to Dalaman in Turkey from Bristol for £246 ...
Last year you could get flights from Cardiff airport to London City airport for £39.99...
So profits can be made on tight margins?
For many buses aren't an option as people living outside of major conurbations have limited timetable availablibilty and journey times to travel even 20 miles can be upwards of 60 minutes.
Move a lot more freight to rail and use local hubs... Using the motorways in France and Spain, for example, shows how little HGV traffic they can get by with, so why can't we...?
Get rid of the huge volumes of vans this country seems to have floating around... I have no idea of how many are actually registered and on the roads but it feels like they have proliferated beyond reason... I'm betting that the only thing the majority are carrying is air...
I just don't understand when people's aspirations to own a vehicle moved to having a van, perhaps VW have a lot to do with this and an easy/go lucky life style image as perceived by having a camper van, whereas reality tends to mean something totally different.
Unless I travel "off peak" trying to get to and from London by rail with a travelcard from Bristol is typically £220+ and that is with the great unwashed ... not 1st class.
Earlier this year I got a return flight to Dalaman in Turkey from Bristol for £246 ...
Last year you could get flights from Cardiff airport to London City airport for £39.99...
So profits can be made on tight margins?
For many buses aren't an option as people living outside of major conurbations have limited timetable availablibilty and journey times to travel even 20 miles can be upwards of 60 minutes.
Move a lot more freight to rail and use local hubs... Using the motorways in France and Spain, for example, shows how little HGV traffic they can get by with, so why can't we...?
Get rid of the huge volumes of vans this country seems to have floating around... I have no idea of how many are actually registered and on the roads but it feels like they have proliferated beyond reason... I'm betting that the only thing the majority are carrying is air...
I just don't understand when people's aspirations to own a vehicle moved to having a van, perhaps VW have a lot to do with this and an easy/go lucky life style image as perceived by having a camper van, whereas reality tends to mean something totally different.
J4CKO said:
Always seems bizarre that everyone does nine to five as a rule, ok, not everyone, but so many, then the roads are quiet for hours at a time, wonder if a bit of intelligent staggering of working and opening hours could help ?
It's odd isn't it? We (IBM) have flexi-time and home working and it's great. When I'm in the UK I work about 7:30-4:30, four days a week, which nicely avoids the rush; I've also spent 3 months of this year working from rural Bulgaria where I work from sitting on a veranda in the sun in the house we've just bought over here. 
OK not all industries can do this, but a significant proportion can and don't.
super7 said:
Reduce the population!!!
Get away with you and your sensible solutions!(edit to add: restrict population increase rather than killing off millions I'd say
)Another issue is that money available for infrastructure improvements is being used up by the selfish individuals who smoke and eat all day long requiring expensive medical treatment on the NHS, which has to be funded at an ever increasing level.
(Just to chuck another controversial one in the mix)
-Invest back in the Railways, out Motorways are rammed with Lorries, go throughout Europe (especially Southern Spain) and all cargo is transported by Rail.
-School buses,
-Remove Bus lanes, or make them active during rush hour only
- Stop Motorways from being shut for broken down cars, little matters
-School buses,
-Remove Bus lanes, or make them active during rush hour only
- Stop Motorways from being shut for broken down cars, little matters
kambites said:
It's odd isn't it? We (IBM) have flexi-time and home working and it's great. When I'm in the UK I work about 7:30-4:30, four days a week, which nicely avoids the rush; I've also spent 3 months of this year working from rural Bulgaria where I work from sitting on a veranda in the sun in the house we've just bought over here.
OK not all industries can do this, but a significant proportion can and don't.
IBM consulants have to work from home wherever possible.... you have to get approval to travel anywhere, including car mileage!!OK not all industries can do this, but a significant proportion can and don't.
Wouldn't entirely fix the issue but i'd like to see the outcome of doing the following.
1. Lorries and similar vehicles are only allowed on Motorways at Night.
2. Cyclists aren't allowed to use roads , but they are allowed to use Paths (within a certain speed)
3.As someone has said above , try and "Normalize" working from home for maybe 3 days a week? Especially in the IT sector.
have it so the days can be chosen week by week and that should clear up quite a lot of commuters.
1. Lorries and similar vehicles are only allowed on Motorways at Night.
2. Cyclists aren't allowed to use roads , but they are allowed to use Paths (within a certain speed)
3.As someone has said above , try and "Normalize" working from home for maybe 3 days a week? Especially in the IT sector.
have it so the days can be chosen week by week and that should clear up quite a lot of commuters.
Trains are ridiculous.
Peak fare from where I live to central London is about £220. Cheapest off peak fares are still about £70.
Even with me getting 30mpg it is cheaper for me to drive the 280 mile round trip and pay to park. You can multiply the costs of the train if there are more passengers.
I think that public transport does need to be cheaper than driving otherwise nobody who has a car will bother. Cars are more convenient unless you are somewhere that some other factor makes it less so, like congestion or parking availability or costs. So the only way to get people onto public transport is to make it cheaper, more convenient and faster.
The only alternative I can see to that is to make the roads and parking so expensive, congested and miserable that people will switch to public transport despite the high prices and inconvenience.
Peak fare from where I live to central London is about £220. Cheapest off peak fares are still about £70.
Even with me getting 30mpg it is cheaper for me to drive the 280 mile round trip and pay to park. You can multiply the costs of the train if there are more passengers.
I think that public transport does need to be cheaper than driving otherwise nobody who has a car will bother. Cars are more convenient unless you are somewhere that some other factor makes it less so, like congestion or parking availability or costs. So the only way to get people onto public transport is to make it cheaper, more convenient and faster.
The only alternative I can see to that is to make the roads and parking so expensive, congested and miserable that people will switch to public transport despite the high prices and inconvenience.
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