Traffic on roads across the West Midlands has increased by almost eight per cent, raising fresh questions about plans for a massive increase in rail fares. Car use in Birmingham has increased so much since 1997 that cars travel an extra 303 million kilometres a year in the city, an increase of 5.2 per cent. But the figure could rise again if proposals from the Strategic Rail Authority, to increase peak rail fares by 20 per cent over five years, go ahead. The SRA said the aim was to encourage passengers to spread their journeys out, rather than all travelling in the rush hour. However, it has admitted the result could also be that commuters abandon the rail system and use their cars. The SRA's strategy, published this week, has been broadly welcomed by the region's transport officials but condemned by business leaders. It includes proposals to increase the length of peaktime trains and cut prices for off-peak journeys. But this will be paid for by increasing peak fares and reducing or scrapping "lightly used" regional routes such as those between Walsall and Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford or Birmingham and Stafford. It also seems to fly in the face of Government policy. In its year 2000 Ten Year Transport Plan, it pledged to reduce congestion by five per cent by 2010. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce policy director Jerry Blackett said: "The need for a better road system is one of the top concerns of our members. "We want to see more roads built, which is something nobody dares say nowadays. "Businesses are frequently told to use more public transport, but once we get that message we are told the trains can't cope and the prices are going up." A Department for Transport spokesman said: "These figures show a healthy, growing economy. "They relate to traffic volume, which is not the same as congestion." | 
