£1m a day: Cost of congestion to region’s business Bosses call for more capacity on creaking road network

CONGESTION is costing businesses in Greater Birmingham more than £1 million a day, according to a major new business survey.

Research suggests snarl-ups cost the region an estimated £407 million a year, with 65 per cent of firms questioned citing congestion as a major problem.

The report has been published by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

Nearly half of those surveyed (47 per cent) said the volume of commuter traffic was the main cause of congestion but roadworks (43 per cent) and school traffic (41 per cent) were also cited as key factors.

Businesses surveyed said congestion was throwing up major issues for their operations including staff punctuality (28 per cent), reduced productivity (21 per cent) and increased costs (19 per cent).

The findings of the chamber’s survey mirror recent research into traffic congestion.

The Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard 2016 found Birmingham was the third most-congested city in England and that, on average, motorists in the city spent nine per cent of their total journey time in traffic.

This costs the city region a massive £407 million in lost revenue, according to the report.

The survey found that nearly half (41 per cent) of journeys in the region were less than two miles in length, a slightly higher figure than the national average (38 per cent).

The chamber said the survey was a response to growing dissatisfaction among its members about traffic congestion and the problems it caus- es. The organisation said many of the region’s problems were deeply rooted in the design of the road network dating back to the 1960s.

More than 70 per cent of businesses questioned said they wanted to see some form of investment in the region’s transport infrastructure to deal with the congestion crisis. Just over a third wanted to see greater spending to create more capacity on the roads and a similar figure asked for money to be spent on creating new railway lines, bus lanes, cycle paths and metro extensions in order to boost public transport usage.

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “The issue of congestion has long blighted the West Midlands and is estimated to cost the region billions of pounds per year in lost revenue.

“Nevertheless, over the last few months, it is great to see the mayor working closely with regional partners such as Transport for West Midlands and various local authorities to ensure the foundations are laid to manage demand, increase capacity and improve traffic efficiency across the region.

“It is vital that the views of the business community are absorbed by local and national stakeholders in order to overcome these long standing problems.”

The issue of congestion has long blighted the West Midlands Paul Faulkner