The government has today faced calls for a longer-term transport strategy.

Yesterday, Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary, announced plans to roll out a hard shoulder pilot on the M42 near Birmingham to 800 kilometres of motorway.

Under the schemes, drivers will be able to use the hard shoulder as an extra lane during busy periods.

"Hard shoulder running is a sensible use of existing capacity," said the roadside rescue group the RAC. "But it is not a substitute for a long-term strategic approach to the UK's road transport needs.

The foundation said Britain needed 600 kilometres of additional road capacity every year to keep up with demand.

However, Ms Kelly wants to ensure that any additional capacity is not swallowed up and said she would explore the possibility of introducing car sharing lanes.

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