Traffic in Great Britain: Quarter 1 2003

Summary

• This Bulletin contains revised road traffic estimates for the years 1993 onwards. These reflect various changes that were described on page 4 of the last Quarterly Bulletin and are summarised below.
• The estimate of all motor vehicle traffic in 1993 is unchanged, but the components of that total have altered. Traffic estimates for years earlier than 1993 and fuller details of more recent estimates will be supplied in the Annual Bulletin, due to be published in July 2003.
• Tables 5 and 6 are special tables for this Bulletin and present the revised estimates along with those previously published. Commentaries on the revisions are provided on pages 14 and 16.
• Car traffic in the first quarter of 2003 was an estimated 1 per cent higher than a year earlier. Total traffic was also up 1 per cent.
• Taking 2002 as a whole, the average level of traffic was over 2 per cent higher than in 2001. Car traffic was some 3 per cent higher. These figures partly reflect the impact of the foot and mouth disease outbreak on traffic in 2001. It is estimated that the underlying rate of growth was between 1 and 2 per cent per year.
• Goods vehicles traffic was one per cent higher overall in 2002 than in 2001. The level of goods vehicle traffic also rose by one per cent over the year to Q1 2003.
• National Statistics Quality Review of road traffic statistics will start in June 2003. Users of the statistics and other interested parties will be invited to contribute in due course. Readers are welcome to express an interest at this time in the review by E-mailing our statistics email address (roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk) using the subject heading 'Quality Review' so that we can keep in touch about developments.

Publication details

Published on quarterly by DfT Transport Statistics,

Available by telephone order on +44 (0)20 7890 3095

ISSN: 0-269-0993, price £-free.

E-mail: roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk for queries concerning road traffic statistics.

For information about release of this product see National Statistics Online