Traffic grows in Brighton & Hove by 9.3%

9.05.49pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th Jul 2005

New figures, released by the Liberal Democrats today show the reality of growing congestion in Brighton and Hove. The figures suggest that traffic has grown in the conurbation by 9.3%.

The Lib Dems says that transport strategies are failing to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. The claim is based on figures from the Department of Transport which show that road traffic in England has increased by 11% since 1997.

Tom Brake MP the Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary called on the government to do more to tackle traffic growth by moving ahead quickly with road charging schemes and improving public transport.

"John Prescott infamously remarked that if the Government did not reduce road traffic it would have failed. These figures are the clearest indicator that it has failed.

"The Government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the Lib Dem's solution of road user charging. There conversion to this approach is welcome in principle. Yet these figure show that it is not the only solution and that far more is needed to be done to provide safe, reliable and affordable public transport if it hopes to tackle this problem."