For strategic roads, the Department for Transport delivers a wide range of measures to tackle congestion through the Highways Agency. On a day-to-day basis these include managing incidents and events more effectively with the Traffic Officer service, preventing incidents with queue warning systems, improving capacity, reducing delays from road works by safely increasing speed limits and delivering better information services to drivers to help them make better choices on how and when they travel.
The current three-year reliability delivery plan is worth £1 billion. In addition, the Highways Agency is planning and undertaking major capital projects. A package of major capacity improvements worth up to £6 billion was announced on 15 January 2009. Investment is paying off with delays now lower than they were when congestion was first measured in 2004-05.
For local roads, transport improvement priorities are determined locally with a sophisticated mix of measures to improve alternatives to car travel as well as general improvements to road capacity and traffic management. Schemes include bus lanes, traffic calming, cycle routes, pedestrian crossings, urban traffic control, park and ride, junction improvements, better information and work with employers and schools on travel plans to promote non-car travel. The Department provided £0.6 billion in 2008-09 for integrated transport improvements. For the 10 largest urban areas, the Department has put in place a congestion performance fund worth £60 million over four years to 2010-11.