Traffic levels in Great Britain have exceeded their pre-recession peak of nearly a decade ago and have hit a record high.

 

For the year to September 2016 there were 320Bn vehicle miles travelled, an increase of 1.4% on the year before and 1.8% higher than the year ending September 2007.

 

Vehicle traffic has now seen an increase in each of the last 15 quarters.

 

The figures from the Department for Transport also show that car traffic increased by 0.9% over the last year to nearly 250Bn vehicle miles.

 

Van traffic rose by 3.8% to a new peak of 48.2Bn vehicle miles and heavy goods traffic rose by 3.4% over the period to over 17Bn vehicle miles.

 

Traffic on motorways and rural A roads increased to new record levels too, although traffic was broadly stable on minor roads.

 

The figures suggest a correlation between growing motor vehicle traffic over the last three years (up 5.6%) with a rise in GDP (up 7.7%).

 

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said traffic growth is being fuelled by economic recovery and a rising population. But he warned that Britain already has some of the most congested highways in Europe and the real problems come when the unexpected happens.

 

“From accidents to roadworks, anything that limits already stretched capacity soon has a knock on effect on drivers.

 

“The current Road Investment Strategy promises resurfacing of many stretches of the strategic network but there is no margin for error,” he added.

 

“With the windows of opportunity for carrying out work getting narrower all the time there is a real danger that badly managed enhancement projects will have a severe impact on journey times.”

 

(Photo: Anne Burgess and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)