Motorists suffer massive regional variations in the quality of transport on offer, says a new AA survey, writes David Duffy.

There are inequalities nationwide from car crime and congestion to accident rates and the amount spent on motoring, the survey showed. Putting problems right will not be easy as years of neglect have left the UK critically weak in the design and construction skills needed to rebuild the transport network, said the AA. Based on replies from 1,000 motorists nationwide, the survey showed:

**The south west of England and East Anglia suffer economic woes from under-funded transport links

**Housing growth in the south east of England is a transport time-bomb which needs urgent action now

**Birmingham and Manchester now suffer some of the worst road congestion outside the South East

**North Yorkshire, the East Midlands and eastern England regions suffer from under-investment, tedious journeys and high road death rates

**Glasgow has very low car ownership but the city could struggle to cope with parking problems should ownership increase in line with prosperity

**Motoring spending in Wales as a whole is lower than in the rest of the UK but those in remote areas pay disproportionately more of their income on cars

**In every region except London, the South East and Northern Ireland, households spend more on motoring than on housing and food

The Government's ten-year transport plan must address inequalities, said AA policy director John Dawson.

He went on: It cannot be right that the UK has such massive regional variations in the quality of what is on offer. People pay the same taxes wherever they are, yet some drive on significantly more dangerous roads and have to put up with longer, more-tedious journeys.

The AA survey concludes that there is a need to de-centralise transport planning and to add performance measures to planning in order to raise standards.