§ Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been made by his Department of work done by the Oxford university transport studies unit concerning the effect on congestion of vehicle mileage increases.
§ Mr. KeyI am aware of work on this topic carried out by the TSU. I am concerned about the impact of traffic growth on congestion. Failing to invest in road improvements will cause congestion to increase, which will damage the economy. It has been suggested that road improvement may itself make some contribution to traffic growth. The extent of this effect is being studied by the Department of Transport's standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment, which is due to report later this year. It is, however, clear that economic growth rather than road provision is the main determinant of demand.