Britain should be building roads at more than three times its current rate to prepare the system for growing car ownership and use over the next 30 years, according to a report from the RAC Foundation. Financial Times

The report, by three transport experts led by Stephen Glaister, professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial College London, also says the country needs a scheme to charge for road use to make the best possible use of the network.

The report argues there is a strong economic case for the UK to build at least 600 lane-kilometres of trunk road a year – equivalent to 100km of six-lane motorway. Current plans by the Highways Agency for England foresee the building of only about 125 lane kilometres a year until 2015.