03/12/2012 Inside Out North East and Cumbria

In the next half an hour: It's not just Olympic heroes who can get

knocked off their bikes. I'm on two wheels to test the region's safety

record. You always wonder if cars ahead of you can actually see you

in their mirror. Can commuting seriously damage your

health as well as your wallet? measure the stress of a daily

commute on the A1. It's quite depressing, actually,

just sitting and sitting and crawling forward. Soul-destroying's

the right word for it. And is our love affair with the car

over? Not everyone hankers after the getting behind the wheel.

Everybody has got that used to using Facebook and their phones, I

don't think anybody cares about using cars any more.

Stories from the heart of the North East and Cumbria - this is Inside

It's called the A1 for a reason - Britain's primary route. But if you

use it you might not think so, especially on Tyneside, where we've

spent a week giving it a road test to see if it's curving our health

and wealth. Time Money Two things most of us don't have enough of.

The A1 robs us of both. Suzanne Tait uses it every working day.

It's Monday morning. The road's just not big enough for

all of the cars that use it, I don't think. It's pretty horrific.

Over the course of this week, we'll find out the true cost of this road

- to our economy, to our time, and maybe even to Suzanne's health.

The A1 is the spine of Britain. But it has an Achilles heel. The A 10

western bypass still looking very slow. The Western Bypass - the bit

of the A1 from Washington Services, up to and beyond the region's

busiest airport. You are going to be stuck on the A1, it's almost

like an apathy. "Oh, here we go." You've got to add extra time

because you've got to use that A1 Western Bypass.

Suzanne Tait does the trip every day from her home in Country Durham

to the office. If traffic was flowing it should take 40 mintues,

in rush-hour, it's generally more than an hour. It's quite depressing,

actually, just sitting and sitting and crawling forward. All the

people joining in and leaving at the slip roads. It really. Soul-

destroying's the right word for it. I wonder whether I should live

somewhere else, whether I should work somewhere else, but I don't

really want to do either of those things.

For this week, Suzanne has agreed to be our guinea pig. We've asked

her to see how long every journey to and from work takes. Much of her

free time gets vaporised on the A1. It impacts on a lot of things. My

sister's just had a baby. It impacts on the time I can spend

with her, because I don't get home till late, so it's probably passed

the baby's bed time. We're also wanting to dig a little

deeper, to see if the commute is even affecting her health. We're

using technology to monitor Suzanne's every move. What we've

given Suzanne for her commute journey is a pair of eye-tracking

goggles, which record a video scene of what she's looking at, but also

detects where the eye is actually looking. The other piece of

equipment we've given her is a bio- belt. That will measure breathing

rate and heart rate and from that we will be able to get some

information about when she is in stressful situations. The Western

Bypass in particular is a particularly congested stretch of

road, running at about three times its desired capacity. On an average

week day, you've got something in excess of 120,000 vehicles per day

using that road. A Newcastle University study warned

it was not fit for purpose, even before it was opened in 1990, let

alone now. It's possible to work out how much money congestion on

the A1 costs Tyneside. The road. 20 to 30,000 vehicles used it in the

morning and evening. 250 working days of the year, that his a lot of

delay. So, in real terms, what's the cost

to individual businesses? Look at all these people - it's time and

money. Typically half-a-dozen vehicles get delayed by 30 minutes

in the morning. You were looking at 30 pence an hour for those vehicles.

That is a lot of money -- �30 an hour.

Fergusons Transport has always been based in the Blyth Valley in

Northumberland, where jobs are scarce. But now, almost all of the

trucks are based on Wearside instead. The reason is the

congestion around Newcastle. I would say now it is probably

between 50 and 100 jobs that have moved down there that should have

been in Northumberland. Over in Gateshead, the A1 is vital

for Team Valley business, but because it doesn't really flow, it

may be stifling the economy there too. John Seager works for UK Land

estates, which owns most of Team Valley. Apparently companies want

to move here, but his plans to build factories and offices for

them have been either blocked or delayed. The Highways Agency held

up the planning for quite some time. The single reason for the hold-up

in the planning process here is congestion on the A1.

It's a difficult balance and The Highways Agency which own the A1

says it works closely with businesses on the Team Valley and

Gateshead Council. In the case of this site, it says it asked for

more information from UK Land Estates before considering the

plans to build new units. Very basically, companies have been

unable to expand, or they've been unable to take new premises and

when it gets down to it, they've been unable to create new jobs.

am nearly at Washington services now and I have slowed down quite a

lot. I am doing about ten miles per hour. This is fairly standard.

Suzanne is wired up to see if the commute is affecting her stress

levels. I don't feel particularly stressed sitting in traffic, it's

the bits where, particularly at the Angel, where it goes from three

lanes to two, you get people roaring up in fast lane and pushing

in at last minute. You can see accidents waiting to happen, that

is quite stressful. In situations like that, definitely my heart rate

will be up. Just moment of laps of conversation, driving a bit too

close. Drivers's error. This Wednesday morning alone

Steve Mordue's dealt with four incidents, two of them multi-

vehicle crashes., for the feeder roads as well, it causes huge

delays. So what is the solution? More lanes, we need three lanes.

Another win would not hurt. That is not realistic. The government is

not even due to look at this stretch of the road until 2014. A

local solution would be a small local road to divert traffic. The

council says it would not cost nearly as much. It is peanuts. That

is a project that can make an impact right now and could be done

within two years, we think. It is a matter of fact that when the

Government hand out cash for road improvements the north-east has not

get its fair share. We understand that this central government's

plans are �5 per capita for those in the north, and �207,000 for her

people in the not -- in the south- east. That clearly isn't there.

The A 1 is an embarrassment to the government. They are miles of road

which are fantastic. He seemed to reach a barrier when you get to the

north-east. Why and where did the investments stop.

It is results day. We will check to see whether they can eat up it A 1

will have an effect on her help -- on her health. The green dots here

are tracking your eye movements. He can see the way they too were

looking about traffic and that lorries and thinking about

overtaking. I think this is leading up to Washington services. Here,

you were slowing down. It is increasing your heart rate. Going

up to 120. You have talked about around the Angel of the art. Here,

her heart rate and breathing rate shoot up again. The data shows that

she is under pressure. I find that quite stressful because they will

cut in at the last minute. You're looking at so many different

objects at the same time. On the rights, the left, and in front. It

must be a stressful thing to do on a daily basis. It can be. And that

is every single day? That is completely normal. Making constant

decisions in heavy traffic affect her body. It places unnecessary

strain on her heart. This was a normal working week. We

asked Newcastle's urban traffic management control to record data.

There are over 28,000 hours of delays during the morning and

afternoon periods alone. According to the government's figures on the

business cost of congestion, it left the North East 100 -- 810p out

of pocket. But perhaps the greatest cost of all is lost time. It is

taking the five hours per week longer than it should take. I could

have been working, sleeping, going to the gym, being with my family.

Lots of things that are more useful Lots of things that are more useful

Lots of things that are more useful Lots of things that are more useful

than sitting in the car. Never

Never has cycling seemed so popular - and so dangerous. Inspired by the

heroics of Bradley Wiggins, we're getting on our bikes in numbers not

seen for decades. But when the world's number one cyclist is

himself knocked off his bicycle, and with the numbers killed or

seriously injured rising fast, calls are mounting for radical

safety measures on the region's roads. There's a battle for control

of our streets. Motorists and cyclists are fighting for space on

our busy roads. We ever spent too long catering to one modern

transport, and that is the car. Those It's a war with high

casualties. You are extremely vulnerable out there. Cycling is

fighting back, boosted by its biggest boom in a generation. As an

on-the-road reporter for more than two decades, I like to think I know

the region's roads like the back of my hand.

But it is always by car. Today I am on a bike. I am going on a seven-

mile commuter journey through the rush hour. Let's see what happens.

I am joining a small but growing number of people willing to brave

our urban streets to get to around by bike. The attraction - it's

healthy, green, and cheap. But it seems, also more dangerous.

moments before this vehicle knocked the champion cyclist off his bike

last night as he left a Lancashire petrol station. Wiggins had been on

a training ride close to his home - the victim of another accident on

Britain's roads. This cyclist had a similar

experience in Gateshead. Normal Friday pedalling home, I am

travelling at 15-20mph. Next thing I know a car has turned left in

front of us. Somehow I managed to throw the bike sideways. I

clattered on my left shoulder, landed on the deck and looked up to

see the car speeding up the bank there. The latest figures suggest

that bike crashes are becoming more common. Last year there was a 15

per cent increase in the number of cyclists seriously injured across

the country. But in the North East and Cumbria the rise was even

steeper - up 18 per cent on 2010. Elizabeth Brown, a physiotherapist,

was cycling to work in Cramlington last year. She was cycling along a

dual carriageway. And a van drove straight into her. In April at

Newcastle Crown Court, the tribal was cleared of causing death by a

dangerous driving. I know he did not mean to do it and sending him

to jail would not have done any good. It is hard not to be angry

about it. I have said this to all of her friends, she absolutely

loved cycling. The last thing she would have wanted was for her

accident to have stopped people from cycling. I think the more

people that it cycle, the bigger voice may be Doll had to get

improvements. He would stop these kind of accident happening in the

future. The trouble is you get all these strains which get in the way.

I am trying to avoid them, but also let traffic past. I am sticking to

the side of the road, but try not to hit the drains. I am already

understanding why people in Tyneside are unwilling to get on

their bikes. In Newcastle the 2% her getting on their bikes, a tiny

fraction compared to that when town in the Netherlands which is 60 %.

In his Newcastle a good place to cycle? A no, I think we have a very

long way to go. That is diplomatically pit. Even though we

have our own diplomatic -- dedicated traffic lights? This is

over-designed. This dedicated space is what we need. The cross to a

moment ago. We had right of way and a cyclist came through in front of

us thrill red light. They are cheating. People say that we only

have ourselves to blame. A you know that you have to abide by the rules

of the road so most of the tiny are bending things just is safe -- stay

safe. The is a ten-year plan to get us on our bikes.

We're putting together her schemes were we are hoping we can work with

cycling bodies to double and treble that over the next few years. Here

is an example of what has already gone and. This street Newcastle has

But there are fans of the levy. Adam cycles to work and so do lots

of his staff at this new technology company. They come in via buses,

trams, bikes, you name it. Some even walk! People change behaviour

and actually getting the bus and train isn't that bad. It gives you

a better quality of life. You get to work fresher, and you can enjoy

the city as well, rather than seeing it as a place to go and

leave every day. If we are going to improve the mix of businesses and

the creativity in the City, it takes the city council to take bold

A the city may well be bold but the big question is, will it work?

only other city in the world to try this is over 9000 miles away in

Perth Australia. To end this film, we asked a reporter with a

television station in the City to tell us how it is going down under.

The parking levy was introduced in Perth more than 12 years ago. Now,

this tax has since made parking in Perth the 8th more expensive in the

world, more costly than midtown New York City. This is a high cost time

and place in which to do business. The presence of a parking levy and

son of a burden to businesses which are struggling. We haven't seen

congestion eased. As difficult to see what the point of it all was.

Parking in the City is shocking. this too expensive to park in the

City. At about $35 a day. If I did Park in the City, which I do

occasionally, I'll expect to pay about $25. The revenue raised from

this levy promised to support a better public transport system. 12

years on, the latter is still in question. Nottingham, you might

want to think again about a parking levy but I guess it is too late for

that full expression of -- too late for that!

From cars to bicycles now. This year marks the 125th anniversary of

rally macro. But its peak, the firm employed 12,000 people at its

Nottingham factory. Adams and it told wrote about its heyday it. --

Throw was a time when his bike Half a century ago, are our

favourite method of transport was the bus. Since then, we've fallen

in love with the car. Inside Out has been given exclusive access to

research out today which suggests that that love affair is turning

rather cold. The BBC's Transport Building roads is controversial but

not building them can be controversial as well. So how do

planners get it right? How do they decide where to spend our taxes -

on road or rail? The only way to ever be sure is to

beam ourselves into the future. And we all know how easy that is.

When these fans were watching their favourite series back in the '60s

we thought we knew how we would be travelling by 2012.

There was talk of having a little personal car that flew.

But sci-fi got it wrong, most of us get around now the same way we did

50 years ago - having your own jet pack remains a distant dream.

And ever since I can remember there has been an assumption the traffic

is just going to get worse and worse. After all, we all love our

cars, don't we? Well, maybe not. In transport

circles there is a rumour going round that we are falling out of

love with four wheels. They have even given it a name -

Peak Car. So what is Peak Car? Well, just

look at UK traffic growth in the '60s and '70s when we couldn't get

enough cars, but by the '90s the trend was already slowing, and by

about 2002 average mileage per person stalled. He is the love

affair with a car cooling down? What seems to be happening in many

advanced countries, including America, is that traffic growth due

to car use simply is not going ahead at the same rate that it used

Well, now Inside out has been given the first piece of in-depth

research into Peak Car in the UK and this report is full of

surprises. It shows that while some of us are driving more than ever,

others are dramatically changing the way we travel.

Take young men for example. Now when I was young, I couldn't

wait to get my hands on my dad's mark 4 Cortina with reversing

lights. Passing your test was seen as a rite of passage, but

apparently that is changing. Market trader Lee Vernon is 19, but

he won't be adding to the traffic around Mansfield Nottinghamshire

any time soon. He is selling up because he has just been quoted

�2,800 to insure his three-wheeler. I really love it. It's a classic

car. They are rare. But insurance is too much and I cannot afford it.

The research shows Lee is not alone. Young men are driving 2,000 miles a

year less than they were in 1995. Women though, young and old, are

actually driving more than they used to. So what is going on?

Everybody gave up and got used to using Facebook and their phones,

sitting around or using public transport, that I don't think

anyone even cares about cars any more. One of the big things from

this report is that young men are not driving so much. There are lots

of explanations, rising higher education, rise in insurance and so

on. The thatched and carries on, then we will see a lot less car

traffic and a lot less car ownership as well.

So what else has the report found? Well, this is the rainy 7.16am from

Warwick Parkway to Marylebone. Over the last 2 years the numbers using

this line have gone up by a staggering 40%. We've seen growth

in business travel when you go to work and on leisure travel,

especially at weekends. Train travel has become much cheaper.

While business travel by rail is up, company car mileage is down - by

40% between 1995 and 2007 - so that is before any recession.

Fairfax Hall runs a London company making specialist gin and vodka and

thinks he has distilled the perfect formula for company travel.

Whenever they need a car or van they book it from a car club and

pick it up from a designated parking space 15 minutes later.

Like a lot of small start-up businesses, you don't have a lot of

money. We invested everything into the distillery. Investing loads of

money into a van just didn't seem like a good use of capital so it is

relatively low cost. The other benefit is flexibility. You can

jump in what is essentially a brand-new vehicle and drive it 15

minutes' notice. So here is a question,.what does

all this research mean for the future of cars and the car

industry? After all, we have had a bit of a boom recently.

The UK is on course to produce more cars than at any time since 1972.

But that is not because we are all buying ourselves a new motor. 80%

are being exported - these Minis are heading to Asia and South

America. And it is not just the car industry that will be looking at

this research. The Department for Transport is planning a major road

building programme based on their model that traffic will increase by

a 44% increase over the next two decades or so. But what if they

have got it wrong? After all since 1989, successive governments have

overestimated traffic growth. This is the range of predictions. The

red line is what actually happened. There is always a risk forecasting

will be wrong but the key thing the model does is take a wide sense of

data. It ensures that data is rigorously analysed. There is a lot

of useful things in this research for us to go away and look at. I'm

not convinced we have reached Prak Car.

The government points out the UK population is predicted to grow by

another 10 million in the next 25 years. And the RAC Foundation who

helped fund the report says that means we are still going to need

more roads. This is not the end of the car. People will need to use

cars. Most people will not have buses and railways available.

Almost half a century ago when Star Trek started this is what we

thought travel in the 23rd century might look like - and it is pure

'60s. It goes to show how hard predicting the future is. For motor

car has been at the transport story of the last 50 years and I'd never

thought I'd say this but it just might not be the transport story of

the next 50. What does this button And that's it for another week.