The Local Government Association is calling for councils to have the “same kind of long-term, consistent funding” that national agencies such as Highways England or Network Rail have.
It calls for the Government to “fully fund” the concessionary travel scheme.
It also wants bus travel to be encouraged by distributing the Bus Service Operators Grants (BSOG) to councils, to “enable councils to protect vital bus routes, and give them the funding they need to provide an effective and efficient bus service.”
It also wants councils outside of London to have powers to target notoriously congested stretches of road.
It comes as an LGA report shows that the average motorist wastes £968 a year on congestion, and spends 4.9 days a year stuck in traffic on major roads.
The LGA is warning that congestion is “no longer just threatening our environment and the quality of our air, but also becoming a drain on our economy and productivity too.”
It is forecasting that congestion will cost the economy £300bn a year by 2030 – a tenfold increase of the current costs of £30.8bn a year.
- LGA report at www.local.gov.uk/tackling-congestion
