Grid lock? Not for bikes!

There’s never been a better time to take to two wheels, according to a report from the RAC Foundation issued today (December 30, 2004).

The organisation is warning of the growing threat of grid-lock on Britain’s roads in 2005. They say surveys show congestion in towns and cities is “a serious issue for a majority of people”

And congestion on motorways is a serious problem for nearly a third of people. We suspect it’s not much of an issue for most motorcyclists!

The RAC says

Average traffic speeds fell by 7% between 1995 and 2003 in the evening peak period.

Road traffic has grown by 79% since 1980.

The proportion of trips made by car has increased from 57% in 1989/91 to 64% in 2002/03.

Travel by car rose from 388 billion passenger kilometres in 1980 to

678 billion in 2003 – an increase of 75%.

Travel by car now accounts for 62% of time spent travelling.

71% of trips to work were made by car in 2002/03 compared with 66% in 1989/91.

92% of all passenger travel is by road whilst 6.5% is by rail.

Road traffic has grown by 79% since 1980, while the total length of roads increased by only 10% in the same period.

The RAC is calling on the Governent to start spending more of the £42 billion per year paid to the treasury by road users each year on improvements to the roads network.

“Road users currently pay £42 billion a year of which less than £6 billion is spent on roads. We claim to be the fourth largest economy in the world
so surely we can afford a decent road system to support economic growth,” said a spokesman.