Traffic congestion 'is harming industry'

Road hauliers believe that congestion is not only getting worse but is having a serious effect on industrial efficiency.

A second survey reveals that nearly half of drivers now leave for work an hour or more earlier than they used to, to avoid being late because of traffic jams.

Quarterly figures compiled by the Freight Transport Association show that nearly 75 per cent of its members report that road congestion is deteriorating. This is the sharpest increase since the regular study began in 1997. Richard Turner, the association's chief executive, said industry was suffering from the "appalling unpredictability of journey times on the roads.

"The increasing level of road congestion has become a major problem for the whole of industry," he said. "The quality of UK manufacturing, retailing and service skills is being squandered by the difficulties of operating on a sub-standard roads infrastructure. The issue is not simply that journey times are increasing, but that they are rarely the same twice."

A survey from the travel information company Yeoman found that 48 per cent of those driving to important meetings are leaving an hour or more earlier to avoid being late through traffic jams.