GREATER Manchester has secured a £1m bonus for cutting traffic levels while the congestion charge debate raged.

The region voted overwhelmingly in December to reject a government deal that would have seen nearly £3bn spent on public transport in return for a peak-hour charge of up to £5 a day.

At the time, senior politicians claimed increasing traffic levels could damage Greater Manchester's economy in the decade to come.

Now the ten boroughs have been awarded £978,356 by the government after official figures revealed the amount of people travelling on major roads had actually been going DOWN.

The number of people using the roads fell 8.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2008, while journey times were down by 1.6 per cent.

The cash comes from the government's Urban Congestion Performance Fund and must be invested in further reducing congestion.

A spokesman for the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive claimed the figures reflected more people using public transport during the congestion-charge debate.

"There was an increased awareness of public transport over that period which may have led to more people considering alternatives to driving," said the spokesman. "The long-term view is that congestion is still increasing."

But former `No' campaigners said the figures proved money had been wasted on the campaign.

Sean Corker, of Manchester Against Road Tolls, said: "Tens of millions of pounds were spent on the congestion charge plans over a two-year campaign, and now we are told congestion is going down.

"Someone has not been telling the truth and it is time somebody resigned."

The Government warned last night that it should not be assumed congestion would continue to fall.

Indications

A Department for Transport spokesman told the MEN: "All the indications are that long-term congestion is on the increase, which is why we are working with local authorities, for instance with the Transport Innovation Fund.

"These figures cover a relatively short period of time. It is possible to minimise the impact in a short period but in the long-term there might have to be further measures.

"Congestion is expected to grow to the level where it harms economic growth."

The £60m Urban Congestion Performance Fund has been set up to help the country's ten largest urban areas identify and tackle the causes of congestion on major routes. More money will be made available if the city continues to progress.

Nationwide, congestion fell by around three per cent.

Transport Minister Paul Clark said he was `delighted' to award Greater Manchester the cash, claiming it would lead to `faster, safer and more reliable journeys'.

"Congestion has serious consequences for the economy and the environment and is a frustrating experience for all road users," he said. "Across England we have now provided nearly £23 million to the participating authorities to tackle urban congestion which is responsible for 80 per cent of all our congestion problems."