This document contains the texts of introductory reports on traffic congestion from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK; it also includes two papers and a summary of the discussions at the conference. The report from Germany considers traffic congestion and its causes, gives tables and other data on volumes of congestion, assesses the effects of congestion, and outlines a strategy for reducing congestion and its negative impacts. The French report discusses the speeds, capacities, and traffic volumes of inter-urban roads and urban road networks, and explains why its authors consider a congestion toll to be an unrealistic solution; it includes maps of the main urban centres in Europe. The Dutch report discusses the nature and extent of congestion, behavioural responses to congestion and policies to reduce it, and policy making to address congestion; it then presents a range of conclusions and recommendations. The British report analyses the early growth of congestion in Europe, defines congestion and its indicators, discusses influences on traffic growth, and presents some congestion scenarios and conclusions. The papers consider the environmental impact of congestion and policies to reduce it, and modelling traffic congestion in Cambridge. Summaries are given of the discussions on the definition, scale, spread, and development of congestion, and on possible solutions.
Abstract