Not enough is being done, say MPs
Britain's Highways Agency takes the blame for traffic congestion and middle lane morons in a damning report by MPs published today. According to the Public Accounts Committee, the agency shows a lack of urgency when dealing with traffic jam hotspots, poor implementation of technology and badly managed pilot schemes.
Entitled 'Tackling congestion by making better use of England's motorways and trunk roads', the report says that Britain is now well behind its European counterparts, and that jams cost UK business £3 billion annually. Where France, Germany and the Netherlands have implemented or are in the process of introducing measures such as driving on the hard shoulder to alleviate jams, and signs warning drivers well ahead of time so they can take alternative routes, the agency has been found wanting.
Other specific criticisms include doing nothing about drivers hogging the middle lane, HGVs doing the long-distance overtake at miniscule differential speeds, and pilot schemes being "poorly designed and managed, leading to inconclusive results". There's a regional bias too. According to the report, there is more high-tech signage in the north, despite the south-east being where most of the congestion is, especially on motorways.
The report recommends more rigorous pilot testing of high-occupancy vehicle lanes and ramp metering -- using traffic lights to control flow onto the motorway. It says that the agency should do more work to inform motorists why speed limits remain in force next to road works that are "not actively worked on".
And finally, it damns the agency for being too close to industry lobby groups -- such as motoring organisations and freight transport groups -- and does not accord the views of ordinary motorists enough weight, according to the report.
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