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Urban congestion is rising
Page 14
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THE GOVERNMENT has admitted that journey delays in England's 10 largest cities wit increase by up to 5% by 2011.
Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander says the responsibility for reducing road congestion falls on local authorities.
"Each local authority is responsible for finding a balance between economic development, safety and journey times consistent with local circumstances and needs," he says. "The Department for Transport will be working with each authority to encourage and support them in delivery.'
The DfT released the journey time targets this month. The calculations are average times for a representative set of the busiest roads.
London, Manchester and the West Midlands account for about two-thirds of the traffic in the 10 urban areas and the OFT is considering bids for major congestion-cutting schemes in these areas, including the West Midlands Urban Traffic Management and Control Project. This project could limit the journey time increase to 3%.
Alexander says the target will be deemed to have been met if an average increase in traffic of 4.4% in England's 10 largest urban centres comes with a 3.6% increase in travelling time per mile.