FTA also said that it was necessary for future planning procedures to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and costs to industry.

The current system is too slow and unresponsive, resulting in lengthy delays in the delivery of new transport infrastructure. This negatively impacts on productivity and stifles economic growth, creating unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs for businesses. It is imperative to businesses operating in England that the planning process be as streamlined and efficient as possible.

FTA said that road transport plays a vital role in the economy, responsible for 83 per cent of all domestic freight. However, the freight sector has to rely on a transport network over which it has no control, and with congestion creating the biggest challenge and cost to industry. Future planning decisions must avoid the false impression that transport can somehow be controlled independently of the rest of the economy. Consumer demands are increasingly requiring the replenishment of retail outlets which in turn requires deliveries at night and weekends in order to avoid peak hour congestion. For more freight to be carried by rail, to reduce road congestion, then sufficient capacity must be created to provide adequate rail services. The planning system needs to be flexible and responsive enough to react quickly to the changing priorities and demands of the economy and the social needs of the population.

FTA is critical of the dramatic under-investment in transport infrastructure during a period when the economy has grown and personal mobility has increased. The Association says that there is £12.4 billion of motorway widening urgently needed on the nation's key trade routes, including the M1, M4, M6, M62, M60 and M25. At current spending levels it will take 19 years to make these improvements.