Congestion the key concern for fleet bosses

New research has identified road quality and congestion as the key concerns for UK fleet and mobility managers.

The findings come from the 2020 edition of the Arval Mobility Observatory, which surveyed the views and opinions of 5,600 businesses in 20 countries, covering wide ranging questions about fleet and mobility trends.

Almost half (47%) said they wanted to see government focus on road improvements, while 45% said they wanted congestion to be improved. Only 27% called for public transport improvements and 18% prioritised a reduction in pollution caused by transport.

Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “There is a very strong indication here that businesses are concerned about the effects of congestion and want to see more investment in the UK road network.

“Difficult traffic conditions are something that many businesses face every day and it is a subject that is obviously front-of-mind in an operational sense. If cars and vans can’t get around easily, it affects the fundamental efficiency of road transport.

“It might be fair to say that the current government is more favourably disposed towards major road investments than any we have seen in a while, so it will be interesting to see if there is a perception over time that congestion is improving – although the nature of these schemes is that they take a long time to come to fruition.”

Meanwhile, less than one fifth cited the environment as a key concern.

Sadlier said: “When Arval are talking to customers, this is an important consideration and simply doesn’t ring true with our experiences. What it may instead reflect is the fact that much is already being done in this area – from zero benefit-in-kind on electric vehicles to the creation of Clean Air Zones. There is already considerable action underway.”