More drivers will be asked to use the hard shoulder to ease congestion on busy motorways.

The government said today that following a pilot on the M42 near Birmingham, up to 800 kilometres of motorway would be included in a wider rollout.

During peak periods, the hard shoulder will be opened up as an extra lane.

Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary, also announced plans to explore car-sharing lanes, as a means of reducing the number of cars on the road, while capacity is improved.

"Experience shows that new road capacity has to be properly managed if it is not to simply fill up," Ms Kelly said.

"There is a compelling argument for car-share or charged lanes, which have been used for some time in the US.

"In order to get maximum benefit, access to car-share lanes is limited to vehicles carrying passengers, or single drivers willing to pay a toll," she added.

The Department of Transport will provide £200 million in grants to local authorities to fund congestion-busting initiatives.

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