The M6 toll route north of Birmingham has dramatically increased the number of vehicles on the very motorway it was designed to unclog, confirming fears that building more roads simply creates more traffic. Since the toll road opened in December 2003, junctions to the south have seen weekday traffic rise by almost 10,000 extra cars and lorries. Junctions to the north show 5,000 more vehicles a day. While traffic flows freely on the toll stretch, 38,000 extra vehicles now use both this and the free M6 each day, a rise of more than a quarter on pre-toll days, parliamentary figures show. Environmentalists will use the figures to show building roads encourages car use. " [The Observer]

The road that should never have been built. I well remember the Labour Party in opposition promising that they would cancel the construction of the M6 Toll. As soon as they were in power they changed their minds.

More information at Transport2000.

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