Plans to reduce congestion on the M1 at junctions 11 and 12 were published this week.

Transport minister Chris Mole published the papers on Tuesday detailing the plans to upgrade the Dunstable and Toddington junctions.

The plans include a hard shoulder running to a 15-mile stretch of the motorway, between Junction 10 at Luton, and Junction 13 at Milton Keynes.

Mr Mole said: "The capacity improvements announced today for Junctions 11 and 12 of the M1 will help maximise the benefits from introducing managed motorways, including a hard shoulder running to a 15-mile section of this very busy motorway.

"As well as helping significantly improve traffic flow, boosting journey time reliability and increasing safety, both junction improvement schemes will deliver better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians."

The plans were published after a public consultation by the Highways Agency.

Mr Mole added: "Advance work on the hard shoulder running scheme began in August, six months earlier than planned, thanks to £16.6million of government fiscal stimulus funding.

"Today's publication of the planned junction improvements is an important step forward towards delivering the package of improvements by 2013.

"When complete the Highways Agency will open up the hard shoulder as a running lane and use variable speed limits to improve traffic flow during busy periods on the M1 Junctions 10 to 13."

The Highways Agency will now carry out further surveys and detailed design of the junction improvement schemes in preparation for the publication of draft orders later this year.

What do you think of the new plans? Email your thoughts to editorial@timesandcitizen.co.uk