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The report from the National Audit Office says the Government agency has been "too risk-averse" in its approach to anti-congestion methods used in other countries, such as car-sharing lanes, use of the hard shoulder and lanes where traffic direction is reversible in peak times (known as "Tidal Flow").
In the report by the Auditor General, entitled Tackling congestion by making better use of England's motorways and trunk roads it points out that the Agency has been slow to introduce new measures to relieve road traffic congestion. Despite their widespread adoption and reported beneficial impacts in some other countries, Tidal Flow, Dedicated Lanes, Ramp Metering and Variable Speed Limits are being used to only a very limited extent in England
The report noted the Agency has run a small number of trials of various congestion-reducing measures to make a business case for adopting the measures elsewhere. But it has managed its trials poorly and the very small number of trials has limited its ability to find trial sites with the right characteristics and conditions for success.
Today’s report recommends that the Agency carry out more trials of congestion-reducing measures at more sites to increase their chances of success, and also improve the design, management and delivery of its trials.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, said in the report:
"Road traffic congestion on our motorways and trunk roads is an enduring problem. I welcome the Highways Agency’s efforts to attack the problem by making better use of our existing roads."
"I am looking, however, for the Agency to adopt a less risk averse approach. It must not only carry out more effective trials of proposed congestion-reducing measures; but also, if the trials are successful, follow the lead of its overseas counterparts in implementing these technologies more widely on the network."
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