Rising traffic welcomed by the DfT as a sign that the economy is growing

The Department for Transport has hailed record traffic levels as evidence that "the economy is on the move".

The DfT was announcing its provisional estimate that 319.3bn vehicle miles were travelled on Great Britain's roads in the year to June, 1.5% higher than the previous year and 1.6% higher than the pre-recession peak in the year ending September 2007, making it a record level. Rolling annual motor vehicle traffic has now increased each quarter in succession for three years.

Traffic reached record levels on motorways and on rural roads, and increased on all types of roads except for urban minor roads. Increases in both HGV traffic and van traffic continued to outpace the rise in general traffic, increasing by 3.8% and 3.7% respectively, with more internet shopping leading to vans reaching a new peak of 47.8bn vehicle miles.