Will The Government’s Spending on Expanding the National Road Network Deliver Anything Useful? Have They Properly Taken into Account Induced Traffic and Extra Congestion Likely to be Caused Elsewhere?

In this paper, the author reminds us of earlier studies which have shown the consequences of past reviews of induced traffic and traffic reductions from expanding or contracting road space. The government seemed keen on evidence based strategies and policies and it now seems opportune to reiterate some of the hard and not quite so hard evidence available. It should be added that the core of this evidence has been given to government from 1985 onwards by the author and others; the first evidence of the extent of generated or induced traffic from roadbuilding dates from the 1920s but has appeared from various studies at regular intervals since. Many of the road schemes being proposed by the UK government in 2015 are in the vicinity of cities and conurbations in places where it is recognized that there is serious congestion. However all the evidence suggests that that additional road construction especially anywhere near such major urban areas is unlikely to help traffic conditions or the economy. Pollution and environmental aspects of the government’s road policies are not discussed but are possibly an equally strong reason to challenge the present policies.