Technology could save acres of green countryside in Sussex but ecology groups say planners need to concentrate on building telework centres and not just multi-lane highways.

For the past 50 years, it has been assumed economic growth requires a substantial growth in transport but teleworking appears to offer an alternative.

Since the Second World War, successive governments have been seeking economic growth of about two to three per cent a year.

It has been accepted to achieve this growth rate requires an expansion of transport at about three to four per cent a year.

According to architects Roarke Associates, works to enable the M25 and M23 to deal with this predicted increase could cost the country more than £1,450 million by the year 2007.

Conversely, the cost of creating teleworking centres, taking the extra commuters off the road systems, would be only £450 million. A saving of £1 billion.

The convergence of computer and telecommunications technologies opens the possibility of a future in which the same economic rate of growth can be achieved without the growth in transport and its associated disadvantages of pollution and energy consumption.

Sadly, the Government does not actively promote teleworking, but a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) spokesman said it was prepared to offer advice to anyone who was considering it.

The DTI spokesman said there was the potential to reduce rush-hour congestion if people could be encouraged to work from home but pointed out that rural areas would almost certainly become more congested.

Teleworking cuts out a lot of completely pointless commuting which our road systems are no longer capable of handling.

The obstacles are no longer technical.

They are mainly to do with work culture, management hierarchies under threat and tradition.

Potential benefits, aside from reduced traffic and pollution, are higher productivity and and better working arrangements.

So next time you are stuck in rush-hour traffic on the A27 or the A23, think hard about working from home.

Teleworking has lots of advantages even if office Christmas party could turn out a bit boring.