Gridlock Britain 'chokes economy'

Traffic congestion on UK roads is costing businesses about �20bn a year as productivity is hit by staff arriving late to work. The number of cars on UK roads has risen by 70% between 1982 and 2003, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). This, its latest survey said, has put more pressure on an already creaking transport infrastructure. ICE is calling on the government to increase funding for transport. In its State of the Nation Report 2005, ICE revealed that 69% of the public want improvements in public transport to help combat the UK's gridlocked road network.