THE Government has come under renewed pressure to introduce road tolls and national congestion charges, as new official traffic statistics show an inexorable rise in car use.

Tolls and charges would hit fleet budgets hard, but fleet efficiency is also damaged by jams, congestion and gridlock.

New Government traffic statistics show that car traffic levels grew by 1.3% between 2000 and 2001, and that motorway traffic rose by 1.6% over the same period.

The news will not surprise the legions of company drivers caught up in congestion and jams every week, but is embarrassing for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who in 1997 said that he would have 'failed' if there were not fewer journeys by car and more people using public transport within five years.

The Government points to significant increases in the use of public transport as evidence of its policy success, and says increased car transport is consistent with a growing economy.

Its new goal is to combat congestion, rather than car use, and it is being urged by environmentalists to accelerate traffic control measures.

Green lobby Transport 2000, which has a seat on the Commission for Integrated Transport, has voiced concern at the latest traffic growth figures.

A spokesman said: 'How far will the Government let traffic grow before it faces up to the fact that we've got a problem? Will it wait until every road becomes a main road? Alarm bells should be ringing.

'The Government needs to throw its full support behind the congestion charging schemes being considered by local authorities and look seriously at the idea of introducing nation-wide road charging as a means of managing traffic levels. It is not enough to improve public transport and simply hope that motorists will use it.'