The growth of road freight and the more widespread use of private vehicles have made transportation the second area of priority for Beijing's energy conservationists.

FORBES: Magazine Article

According to Manuel Gomez, president of Mexico's road-freight industry body, Canacar, there are 375, 000 trucks in Mexico and some 7m in the United States.

ECONOMIST: NAFTA

There are also proposals for rail and road infrastructure work to improve freight links from the major terminals at Grangemouth, Mossend and Coatbridge to key points in Scotland and England.

BBC: Transport blueprint at-a-glance

The Outer Hebrides Transport Group said removing road equivalent tariff (RET) from freight would lead to a 175% increase in travel costs from April.

BBC: Western Isles firms join ferry fares campaign

The speed, flexibility and economy of road transport have caused a precipitous decline in rail freight across the world.

ECONOMIST: A better way to fly

Almost all the world's freight goes by sea, rail and road.

ECONOMIST: The effect on business and leisure

Along the road, night and day, a stream of ambulances came with their freight: the gravely hurt, the paralyzed, the amputees, the head-trauma cases, and the other wreckage from what had turned out to be a mammoth land battle.

NEWYORKER: Rat Beach

Meanwhile, the Freight Trade Association said the future of the south Wales economy was "severely hamstrung" without the relief road.

BBC: Businesses' anger at M4 road loss

Since one freight train can carry as much as 280 lorries can, railways can help to limit the rise in road congestion.

ECONOMIST: American railways

Road builders chief Ruane says the truckers have indicated some support, provided the money raised was entirely dedicated to improving freight infrastructure.

FORBES: Concrete Proposals