 LIVERPOOL council is aiming to step up its campaign to force motorists off the city's streets, claiming it must act to ward off an estimated 14% rise in traffic over the next five years. But opponents last night claimed the traffic figures revealed in a new report were "skewed", insisting that the city only faces congestion problems because of the current "Big Dig" programme of regeneration roadworks. Measures including congestion charging for car users are to be considered as the city looks at ways to tap into the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF). Grants are available from the fund for major transport schemes, but only for cities prepared to impose London-style road user charging schemes on their motorists. Liverpool council is investigating what impact a growing number of vehicles coming into the city centre will have, and how it could affect the area's economy, air quality and the city's World Heritage site status. The report, by council executive director Ben Dolan, predicts a 14% increase in Liverpool traffic by 2011, coupled with a 40% increase by 2021. The estimate is more than double the 6% predicted increase for the rest of Merseyside, and much higher than Government goals. The council says the prediction was made using local traffic counts and national statistics. It wants to reduce the estimated increase to 7% by introducing a number of measures to stop people using their cars, including encouraging more public transport use. But business and political leaders last night rounded on the council, insisting it was to blame for the city's congestion problems. Liverpool's Labour leader Joe Anderson said: "These figures have to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. The congestion in the city at the moment has been absolutely exaggerated by the Big Dig, it is nothing to do with extra cars coming into the city. "The figures are skewed. I don't think it has been managed well, the same roads seem to be dug up time and again. "Under normal circumstances in the city congestion just would not be that bad and future predictions would be much lower. "It would be ridiculous to introduce measures to cut the scheme on this basis." | 
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