A new report from the Campaign for Better Transport warns against the temptation to focus on large scale new road projects to stimulate economic growth.

They suggest that investment should concern existing transport networks, and short term improvements to create jobs and provide wider benefits to society and the environment.

The decision whether to spend on creating something new or upgrading something old can depend on several factors. There will always be infrastructure and schemes which could benefit from revamping, but equally there are so many innovative ideas for new projects which could revolutionise our country in a way that modernisation of existing frameworks could never achieve.

Focusing on a wide range of factors can allow the best decisions to be made regarding the direction of spending. In this way, the combination of advantages and disadvantages can be clearly weighed against each other.

Concentrating on working with what we’ve already got is sometimes, but not always, the right form of action to take.