Council and democracy

4. Tackling the causes and impact of congestion

Keeping the traffic on Hertfordshire’s roads moving is vital for the future of the county. All road users, including businesses, need to have consistently reliable journey times and not live with the threat of gridlock.

Congestion is seen by the public as one of the most pressing environmental issues facing Hertfordshire: 80 percent of people feel that congestion has got worse over the last three years.

Traffic flows in Hertfordshire are 35 percent higher than the national average, a result of several factors, including high levels of car ownership and a population of more than a million people, living in thirty towns, near London.

The local road network is frequently at, or near, full capacity. Difficulties or failures due to accidents, faults or roadworks on the busy national routes which cross the county make this situation worse. Consequently, the wear and tear on the infrastructure is considerable.

The Road Traffic Reduction Act (1997) requires us to tackle traffic growth. The Council is also required to deal with congestion under the Traffic Management Act (2004).