§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the relationships between changes in traffic and(a) increases in road capacity and (b) economic growth.
§ Mr. WattsDuring the last 15 years, traffic has grown at about one and a half times the rate of growth in gross domestic product. The Department's publication "National Road Traffic Forecast Great Britain (1989)" describes the close relationship between national traffic growth and national economic growth.
The relationship between traffic growth and increases in road capacity is a complex subject, which has been studied by the Department's standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment. The report will be published with the Government's response in due course.