Plan to ease motorway congestion

The government has announced a £6bn package to help reduce motorway congestion.

Under the plans, drivers on parts of the M3, M4, M5 and M27 could be allowed to use the hard shoulder in peak times and tolled lanes could be introduced.

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly said on Wednesday that ministers were considering allowing the use of the hard shoulder following successful trials on the M42 near Birmingham.

Some £60m will be used to help reduce congestion in eight key areas - Bristol, Greater Manchester, Leicester, London, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear and the West Midlands.

Local congestion charging could be introduced in Leeds, Cambridgeshire and Reading, with an investigation into the possibility of using a US-style system of dedicated or tolled lanes.

There will also be £8m to help local authorities manage their transport assets.

Kelly said: "I am determined to get the best from our road network so that motorists have reliable journey times on roads that are safe and well-managed.

"The greatest barrier to this is congestion. It is frustrating and has serious consequences for the economy and the environment.

"To achieve this we need a smarter programme of investment. The £6bn I am announcing today will allow us to develop and implement more innovative approaches to the way we use our major roads.

"This includes measures like opening the hard shoulder when traffic is at its heaviest, alongside some conventional widening where that makes best sense."

She added: "Where we add new capacity through measures like this I am also interested to see what role car share or tolled lanes could play in helping traffic flow more smoothly - giving motorists a choice about how they make their journeys.

"The majority of congestion is in our towns and cities, where the answer cannot be building new roads.

"That is why I will continue to support councils who want to investigate whether radical packages, which include public transport improvements combined with local congestion charging, would be the right solution for them."