Home > Press releases > Archived press releases > 2003 > Traffic levels increase again
6 February 2003
The relentless rise in traffic levels, revealed by Government figures published today, shows why tough action is needed to tackle car-use, said Friends of the Earth. Traffic levels in Great Britain grew by more than two percent between 2001 and 2002. Since 1997, traffic levels have grown by over 7% - representing almost an extra 21 billion vehicle miles.
Commenting on the figures, Friends of the Earth's Transport Campaigner Tony Bosworth said:
"Traffic levels are rising relentlessly bringing more congestion and more pollution. The Government's answer is to build more roads. But we can't keep doing this forever.
"The real solution must be to tackle traffic growth. This means providing high-quality alternatives to the car alongside measures such as congestion charging. There is no magic solution. Perhaps our transport system wouldn't be such a shambles if the Government demonstrated the same political courage as the Mayor of London."
`Traffic in Great Britain: Quarter 4, 2002' can be found on the Department for Transport's website at www.transtat.dft.gov.uk/tables/2002/qtraff02/q4_02/pdf/q402traf.pdf (PDF†)
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For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
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