Ian Simpson, a Deloitte partner, who leads the firm’s public transport consultancy team responded to the Department of Transport’s announcement to better manage England’s motorway capacity:

“The Government’s plans to enable drivers to use motorway hard shoulders will have a positive impact on traffic congestion and improve journey time reliability. Implementing hard shoulder running on a large part of our most congested motorways will provide substantial benefits to road users.  Being able to accurately estimate your journey time is clearly an important factor for today’s driver.

“The proposals are one step towards tackling the worsening congestion on our road network. The successful trial on the M42 and evidence from the Netherlands make it clear that this policy is workable in practice.

“The Government is sending a clear signal that it is willing to confront the problem of traffic congestion. The intention to explore the possibility of introducing further car pooling and to charge for the use of additional lanes is an indication that the Government remains serious about moving forward with road pricing via a policy that will simultaneously provide additional road capacity and help address public concerns.

“There will be considerable challenges in implementing this policy, not least the disruption in the short term to our road network. But, clearly, something needed to be done to tackle ever rising levels of road congestion and some short term pain will be a price worth paying in the long run.”

- ends -

Notes to editors

About Deloitte’s public transport consultancy team:

Deloitte’s public transport consultancy team have provided extensive strategic and operational advice for the development and design of London’s congestion charging zone, its recent extension and the low emission zone (LEZ). Deloitte was also consulted on Europe’s only other congestion charging zone in Stockholm and governments around the world are also using Deloitte to advise them on the feasibility of road pricing schemes.

About Deloitte

In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte & Touche LLP which is among the country’s leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services. Deloitte & Touche LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (‘DTT’), a Swiss Verein whose member firms are separate and independent legal entities.  Neither DTT nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other’s omissions.  Services are provided by member firms or their subsidiaries and not by DTT.

Deloitte & Touche LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.