Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Cobbold (Crossbench). It was answered on Wednesday, 18 October 2006.

Roads: Congestion

Question: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his response. Does he agree that the vital role in our economy played by road freight transport and the extra carbon emissions from traffic congestion both argue for a higher priority to be given to road improvement and construction? Our existing road system is showing its age and there are numerous congestion black spots that are crying out for traffic-easing investment. As for new roads, have the Government given any consideration, for example, to the possible construction of an outer M25 ring road around London?

Answer: My Lords, on the latter point, no, not at this juncture. On the noble Lord’s basic point, roads are of course essential to our economy and that is why we propose to spend£1.7 billion over the next two years on at least23 major schemes. But I want give the House the assurance that we intend to lock in the benefits of motorway widening by effective traffic management so that we do not produce additional congestion in due course.

Secondary information