Estimates of the costs to business vary, but always amount to several billion pounds per year. 1 2.7 Congestion also contributes to air pollution, which has been linked with a number of health effects, including increased mortality and the worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, resulting in increased hospital admissions, distress and discomfort for the sufferers. It is, however, not possible to make specific attribution of the effects brought about by congestion-related pollution. It is intended that the powers to impose road user charges or the workplace levy should be part of a much wider package of measures to address the problems of congestion and pollution. The different approaches available were considered in the review of transport policy, and the measures which will help deliver integrated transport have been set out in the UK Government's White Papers, A New Deal for Transport and Travel Choices for Scotland.
Congestion already costs the UK economy billions of pounds.
Furthermore, there are domestic, European and international obligations which mean that the currently projected growth in traffic, congestion and vehicle emissions cannot be sustained. These include air quality objectives under the National Air Quality Strategy, which are now reinforced by new mandatory European ceilings, and the UK's domestic and international targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The options for tackling congestion and pollution through blanket restrictions on vehicle use, for example different registrations allowed in areas on alternate days, were considered but dismissed. Some people have no alternative but to drive every day, for instance because of the nature of their job. Blanket restrictions are too crude an instrument, nor do they provide an additional income stream for spending on improvements to transport infrastructure and services.