Rush hour traffic congestion decreases

Date published: 15/10/2007

Rush hour traffic in Rochdale has decreased by 1.5 per cent anti-congestion charge campaigners are claiming. They further claim that rush hour traffic in nine out of ten other Greater Manchester towns is down, by up to 14 per cent, only in Oldham has their been an increase - of 5.5 per cent.

There has also been a 14.4 per cent fall in traffic heading for Manchester city centre, according to Manchester Against Road Tolls and the Association of British Drivers.

Their claims come as Government is still considering Greater Manchester’s bid for a £3 billion package of local transport investment and peak-time congestion charging, from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

Sean Corker, the Manchester MART and ABD co-ordinator, says they have examined figures from the Greater Manchester Transportation Unit and information from Manchester Council’s "State of the City’ Report.

Mr Corker added: "Councils can no longer claim with any credibility that the congestion charge is about tackling congestion.

"Their scheme is nothing more than a dishonest, greedy tax on hard working motorists."

Mr Corker added: "Personally I think the Oldham figure has increased because of the opening of the M60."

A statement from Greater Manchester’s TIF bid team said: "Some parties will select certain figures from the report and use them to suggest that we do not face traffic problems in Greater Manchester. This is not the case.

"A simple count of the number of cars passing a certain point during a small window in the day will not provide the full picture of the current impact of congestion across the city region."