Traffic congestion.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Traffic congestion is one of the major problems that many cities are facing. "There are three main components of the growth of traffic on urban roads which has taken place in recent years; an increased demand for personal travel into and through city centre areas; a growth in the number of goods vehicles on the roads; and a transfer of passengers from public transport to private car."1

Norwich is not an exception. In the centre of the city, the problem is more than obvious. "In response to the exhibitions in February of 1990, congestion was identified as the major problem facing Norwich followed by environmental issues and then parking."2 The future is disturbing; "forecasts show that vehicle trips will rise by 55% in 2006. This growth in traffic is mainly due to greater wealth - more people buy cars, more of their income is spent on petrol and more people move out of the cities and further away from their jobs"3. It is also noteworthy that "Norwich has an average speed during peak hours of 12.5 mph which is only 1.5 mph faster than in inner London. Norwich also has a high level of traffic accidents involving personal