Drive the motorway forwards

But that is what councils and business leaders believe must happen so that the hard shoulder can be used for traffic.

As a plan, it makes perfect sense.

The hard shoulder represents a fourth lane, adding a third of the space on to the motorway for cars and lorries to keep flowing.

But it will be a long and slow process which will mean 50mph speed limits – and that is if drivers are lucky.

Two years worth of work between junctions five and eight of the M6 has just finished.

It is still going on between Wolverhampton and Eccleshall until next spring.

Motorists trying to escape the roadworks on the M6 have at least had the option of using the M6 Toll, even if it is too pricey for many.

There will be no such luxury option if the work spreads to the M5.

Businesses, however, have come to the conclusion that it is worth it.

They are aware that it will mean wasting precious and costly fuel sitting in traffic while the work takes place.

What they are looking at is the bigger picture, the long-term plan. They know that they simply cannot go on like this.

And they know that, if the Black Country is to thrive in a new economy that once again values manufacturing and exports above the wheeler dealing of bankers in the City of London, they have to be able to get the goods out on time.

In a global economy, the customers who will buy British-made components will not want to hear excuses about heavy traffic on the M5.

Nor will they put up with rising prices based on increased fuel consumption as a lorry sits on tick over.

The work will be expensive. Work that has taken place so far on the so-called 'managed motorways' has run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

It is still chicken feed when compared with the £50 billion cost of high speed rail.

The motorway network is the backbone of British business.

It is now time to give it the investment and attention it requires for the 21st century, however unpleasant it may be in the short-term.

There is no gain without pain.