RAC Report on Motoring 2016

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1.0 What’s on motorists’ minds?
12.
1.4 Congestion and parking
Motorists have reported a sharp rise
in concern about congestion and
journey times this year. More than
a quarter of drivers (27%) say these
issues are among their top four
concerns – this represents a very
substantial rise on the 18% recorded
in 2015. Meanwhile, 7% named high
levels of traffic and resulting delays
as their number-one concern
compared with 5% last year.
These views reflected Department
for Transport (DfT) estimates of
traffic volumes in 2015, which
showed a 1.6% increase on the
previous year to a total of 317bn
vehicle miles12. The DfT also found
that typical traffic speeds were
down, with average delays up by
5.5% on 2014.
It is highly likely that road traffic
volumes are up as a result of a
number of factors including the
ongoing falls in the price of fuel,
increases in wages making motoring
more affordable, and general
economic prosperity increasing
commercial vehicle traffic.
Given the rising level of concern
about congestion, it comes as little
surprise to learn that motorists
report they are also facing greater
difficulties in parking. One in seven
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RAC Report on Motoring 2016