How can congestion be reduced in busy towns and motorways without drivers incurring any costs?

Answer 1

If more people car shared you would half the amount of cars in one go. Its not hard to ask people at work if they want a lift. you can take turns on who's car you travel in. Or you can catch a bus, I do. I only use my car now to pick my son up and do my shopping at the same time. Did you know that modern buses are now greener than ever, using addatives that greatly reduce CO2

Answer 2

A city in Italy tried the alternate number plate system mentioned by an earlier answerer - it didn't work because people just bought a second car!

The congestion is a problem that has been getting progressively worse for decades. I believe that it's a function of people's ability to travel further to work which then becomes an acceptance of longer journeys.

No measure should be left unused, as no one solution is ideal for everyone. Yes to more buses, trains, etc. Allow companies to give tax breaks to employees who car share. Install showers at workplaces so that people can use a cycle ride to work as an alternative to the gym.

The Dutch style of bike seems poorly represented in the UK - a sports bike is fine for those that do want a workout, but a sit-up and beg with fitted mud/chain guards, dynamo lights, hub brakes and gears is just so sensible it's a crying shame they aren't available off the shelf in Halfords.

Staggered start times will help, but most businesses don't function in isolation - they need to communicate with one another, so it would reduce the number of hours per day when one can get hold of a supplier on the phone.

Answer 3

In this modern 24 hour computer age, congestion could be reduced by forcing offices to open 24 hours, with staggered start and finish times away from the traditional 9 to 5 mentality. Why should it be just the 'manual worker' who has to endure the anti social work hours of shift work ( my start time is between 3 and 7 AM) -- and the roads can revert to their original use - the transportation of freight , and passenger carrying vehicles. Get rid of the 50 + mile commute, by firms opening offices closer to where the workforce is ,(or work from home) not in some poxy city like London. Closing all motor way ON ramps at times of high congestion to private cars with less than 3 occupants, but allowing work related , ie 'tradesmen's vans' on.
The M6 thru the West Midlands ,for instance : A new road from Stafford via Telford to Worcester - M5 ( to the west side of Birmingham, for the geographically challenged) would reduce the daily congestion at jn 8 (for M5 south) as a fair amount of traffic stuck there is heading for Bristol and South Wales, or heading north to Manchester & North West - something that was missed when the M6 Toll road was built to the east side of Birmingham But you will always get the Not In My Back Yard's totally against any improvement , if it means some disruption to THEIR little world, instead of the good of the majority.
Additional thought:
If road pricing is brought in I think the fairest would be to charge those who are causing the congestion, the most i.e the short journeys of a couple of junctions. Those already on the road in question pay nothing, as they are 'passing through' on their way to wherever. Usually I leave the midlands about 4 ,and can be south of Dartford before 6.30, leave at 5, and the same trip can take an hour longer due to commuter traffic

Answer 4

Employ people to design road layouts that actually drive unlike the person who designed the latest change to a road near me.

They put traffic lights on a T-junction (Great at 8-9am, 4-5pm when there is excessive traffic about not so at other times, so making them 'part-time' lights would be far more environmentally friendly.) Single lane for left and right turning so when the bus comes down on the far side and stops all traffic because they've also put a 100 metre bus-lane to by-pass the lights, yet it is perfectly safe for traffic coming from the right to move, or traffic coming from the south to move to the left, or traffic coming from the left turning right, of which the latter two aren't possible because they're both single lanes.

If only some thought had actually been put into it could of reduced congestion now it only builds it up!

Derby Town centre is just a mess, basically, look at Derby, and look at "what not to do" and you won't go far wrong.

Answer 5

The government could put sensors on lights ,so we would'nt be sat waiting for traffic thats not there ,Or the ability to turn left on a red light if is safe to do so [similair to america].Both these are enviromentally good and cut congestion .I doubt either will be taken up because they will cost money ,or a charge could be applied on roads it wont stop people using them but there is a profit on the horizon mmm! which do I think will appeal !! ..
On the motorway issue I can only suggest roadworks at night where possible [yes I know extra cost] but I dont think there is a cure ,charges wont do it ,people still need to get there mmm! another profit on the horizon !! The earlier motorways designers could be forgiven for underestimating traffic growth but later ones i.e m25 from the day it was opened was to small in lanes a little bit of false economy there I think, paying the price now though!!

Answer 6

Simlpy use some of the vast revenue collected from the motorist in the first place on improving the fabric of the road and transport network and that would include a workable and useable public transport system that we would not be afraid to use

OR

Carry on wasting our hard earned money that we have paid in taxes and keep "hiking" the cost on to the road user. Lets face it we are one of the easiest targets so why not hit us harder and give us less back in return, Oh no you already do that one but I am sure that you could do it even better if you tried

As you can see I do not have much faith in the powers that be to do anything right for us and not just the motorist but then there is another question for later

Answer 7

Busy towns difficult, however motorways would be helped if the short distance traffic was taken off the road. You will notice that all signage has been removed from roads near motorways and that it is more difficult to use to old A roads in consequence. Like Parkinson's Law cars appear to fill the road space available, especially in the SE of England, most of which are foreign lorries whose drivers pay nothing towards our roads system.

Answer 8

by a system of number coding. each car plate will have a number between 1 and 5 as the last digit on the plate, 1 would be the Monday and 5 been the Friday.
so if your car is number 3 that means you cant drive your car in certain areas on a Wednesday and another car will be a different number and so on. so with this system you will have fewer cars on the roads each day of the week.
only down side is you can only drive your car 6 days a week in certain areas but on the other days you will be driving in much better traffic flow. and it dosent COST anymore than it does now.
hope i have answered your question to your satisfaction.
Brian m.

Answer 9

Make public transport more affordable and reliable.
If other countries can run a reliable public transport service then i am sure the UK could at least try ??????
If the government can agree to spend 16 billion pounds on a rail network than saves the average person 20 minets of there time. Which quite honestly the money could be used for a better purpose. Obviously being tax payers money what the hell.
So back to my original answer provide an affordable public survive

Answer 10

The government should fund public transport rather then expecting public transport to pay the government, rail companies have to pay billions to the tresurary (which has been pressuring for higher fares and hence higher payments). Longer franchises would encourage more private investment (as the rail companies are reluctanct to invest when they will almost certainly lose their franchise 5 years later)

Long distance commuting isn't a good thing, if people lived nearer to where they work (or worked nearer to where they live) then alternatives to the car become more viable. *is moving to a new flat 10 minutes walk from the city centre*