Are we on the road to nowhere?

An interesting piece in The Echo today about the ever increasing traffic gridlock we face on our roads. I personally wonder how many people feel like prisoners in their own homes due to the levels of traffic on our roads. Whilst canvassing local residents in Rayleigh, a common concern was traffic with one resident telling me he wouldn't even attempt to go anywhere before 10am and then avoided the peak time traffic at 4pm till almost 7pm. Personally I've turned to my push bike for those short trips to ASDA or a walk into town. Not so much fun though if you've got a big shop to do or the weather isn't on your side. So what is the answer to this ever increasing problem? I'm keen to hear the thoughts of residents. Our area needs infrastructure upgrades to cope with traffic. Its not just residents but businesses too. What hope do we have of attracting big business to the area if the road links aren't up to the job? It's a hot topic and one that needs some urgent attention in my opinion.