Better Transport

Campaign for Better Transport [1] has discovered the Department for Transport has quietly dropped plans for the first car-share lane on the M1, promised by Alistair Darling in 2004 [2]. This revelation comes on the heels of Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly opening the ‘first’ motorway car-share lane on the M606/M62 last week [3]. 

The decision to drop the promised M1 car-share lane was buried on page 65 of an 80-page report published this month [4]. 

Campaign for Better Transport [1] has discovered transport ministers have secretly approved over £1 billion of cost increases for road schemes in the past year alone.

Campaign for Better Transport criticises the delay in extra fuel duty as a part of today's budget. Executive director Stephen Joseph said:

"The delay in the increase in fuel duty is a disaster and a broken promise that shows little regard for climate change or for alternatives to the car. A truly green budget would have taken the extra duty and invested it in better transport, especially local public transport."

Campaign for Better Transport [1] today came out in support of the Mayor and Transport for London in moving towards the introduction of an emissions-related congestion charge. It condemns Porsche for trying to prevent a necessary and progressive transport measure.

Richard Bourn, the London Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport, said:

Responding to the RAC Foundation report published today, What Went Wrong? British Highway Development before the Motorways, Campaign for Better Transport’s roads and climate campaigner Rebecca Lush Blum said:

The Government has been prioritising the wrong areas for tackling climate change from the transport sector, according to research published today by some of the country’s leading environmental organisations [1].

Transport taxation is likely to be a key issue in the Budget this year. This briefing sets out what measures are likely to be covered and some comments on them.

Fuel duty: Duty must increase to tackle climate change

Reacting to the announcement today by transport secretary Ruth Kelly [1] about hard shoulder running, Campaign for Better Transport's [2] roads and climate campaigner Rebecca Lush Blum said: