Traffic Delays Down As Car Journeys Tumble
News that traffic on the UK roads in the second quarter of 2008 was 2 percent down on the same period in 2007 has caught the eye of many road user groups with the AA fairly vocal on the reasons for the fall. A survey of the AA membership shows that over half of car owners are making fewer journeys than this time last year with more expecting their hours of travel to fall in the second half of 2008.
The AA has been very critical of the government's fuel price policy for many decades and lays the blame for the recent fall in traffic numbers fairly and squarely with the Treasury. Soaring petrol prices have led to massive tax income for the government at a time when money has never been tighter in the UK. On top of this we have the planned change in the car road tax system which will see some drivers charged up to four times the current rate for their vehicles.
Rising costs and reduced incomes are also causing havoc with the UK car industry with sales plummeting across the board. As the new road tax era kicks in this can only get worse in the short term with many suggesting the government has a secret plan to push us all off the road!
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