Ian Simpson, a Deloitte partner, who leads the firm’s public transport consultancy team responded to the Budget 2008 commitment to better manage England’s road capacity, commenting:

"The Budget 2008 demonstrates the Government’s willingness to tackle congestion by exploring the use of road pricing and adding motorway capacity through the use of hard shoulders. Although the timetable for developing these proposals by Pre-Budget Report 2008 is challenging, it clearly signals a commitment to tackle ever increasing levels of congestion on the road network and improve journey time reliability.

"Equally, ensuring sufficient additional funding for private sector-run projects and local authority road charging schemes will push forward the innovation needed to deliver improved road management, and ultimately the aspirations of the Eddington Study."

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.