Speedy Recovery

As lockdown eases so do our driving restrictions. People heading back to work, socialising more – though in a sensible manner of course. As a result of this, we’re seeing more and more cars return to the roads and motorways. If you commute near London, M25 traffic is back!

Just when you thought it was getting better. On a serious note, however, it was inevitable once the corona virus became manageable that we would try to get back to as normal a state as possible. Motorists drive the economy, excuse the pun.

Be it logistics, deliveries or commuters, we can’t escape having to drive. Yes there are alternatives like public transport but sometimes it’s not practical or affordable to use. For example, if you have to travel from Blackburn to Stockport, you can’t catch a direct train.

If you need to travel from Glasgow to Southampton, you might not be able to afford a plane ticket. There are many things we need to consider. For Londoner’s, M25 traffic is one of them.

A positive point to come out of lockdown has been the easing of some motorway roadwork restrictions. Notably the speed limit will be raised to increase traffic flow. This is useful as stopping and starting causes bottlenecks and only goes to worsen the congestion.

By having a more free-flowing system, not only do we reduce congestion but also get to where we need to on time. Unless you’re stuck in M25 traffic that is, sorry. By getting to where we need to on time, we can hit any deadline or target. And so on and so forth. Also check The Heart of the UK

So how does increasing speed help with the recovery of our economy? Well it’s sort of straight forward. If your parcel containing a brand new laptop gets to you on time, you can login and perform your remote work tasks effectively.

This increase in productivity helps your business perform more tasks. Subsequently, one hopes, this leads to the overall business performing better and attaining revenue growth. Revenue growth spurs increased taxation. Taxation improves the economy. Simple.

By having an effective transport infrastructure, the overall economy benefits. Something as subtle as increasing or rather decreasing the time it takes to get from one place to another is a step in the right direction.

Yes this may entice more people to use the road, but, providing we re-invest any “gains” from boosting the economy back into infrastructure, we should be able to manage the whole process a lot better.

Looking globally, many countries who aspire to develop economically are investing heavily in their transport infrastructure. China, India, even the UK are spending billions on their roads in order to keep the economic flow of their countries moving.

That is why even small steps like marginally increasing speed limits do actually make a difference when multiplied by the number of users. If millions of people get to where they need to faster, just thing of the positive ramifications.

Putting it into perspective, if 1,000,000 people contribute an increase of £10 to the economy, even if just annually, that’s £10,000,000 in the coffer. Or to spell it out ten million pounds.

With that ten million pounds, just think of the different things the government could re-invest in. Cleaner energy, electric vehicle infrastructure and improving social disparity – the list is endless. All this has a positive effect.

Motorists are the lifeblood of our economy and they’re not going anywhere. We need to make sure we maximise the efficiency and value of each and everyone of them. If that means improving their journeys then so be it.

But the question on everyone’s lips is clearly…how do we improve M25 traffic?

Pun intended. The busiest motorway in the UK by a stretch. How will improving speed and flow on this Road improve traffic overall. It’s another straight forward thing really. The M25 links to other motorways and road networks.

By improving the flow on one network, you have a knock on effect to other, linked networks. By improving M25 traffic, you improve all other traffic indirectly. That means the benefits are reached by us all.

It is easier said than done and it needs real commitment to a) actual make this happen and b) for this to stay in place long enough for us to measure the impact. What is clear though is, maybe, just maybe, we may see a world with improved M25 traffic.