Better Transport

Campaign for Better Transport deplores today’s decision to abolish the western extension of the congestion charge zone. This has happened in the very week that Boris Johnson promised to make London “the world’s leading city in delivering carbon reductions.”

Richard Bourn, Campaign for Better Transport’s London campaigner, comments:

After securing a strengthened Local Transport Act [1], Campaign for Better Transport says it looks forward to seeing action to improve local bus services.  Cat Hobbs, the group’s public transport campaigner, says:

Campaign for Better Transport describes today’s Government announcement of £1billion for  transport schemes [1] as a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly and calls on the Government to rethink its plans of building extra road capacity.

Stephen Joseph, the group’s executive director, said:

Transport’s contribution to climate change could be reduced by a quarter by 2020 according to new research published today [1]. The research comes as the Climate Change Bill passes into law and the Committee on Climate Change prepares to release its proposal for UK carbon budgets up to 2022 [2]. Transport is likely to be a key target: it accounts for 28% of UK carbon dioxide emissions and with growing road traffic and flights is expected to increase.

Campaign for Better Transport responded to today's Pre-Budget Report by welcoming the promised two-pence-per-litre petrol duty increase but expressed dismay at the £700 million now available for road construction.

Campaigns Director Jason Torrance said:

Reacting to the rail fares rise announced today [1], Campaign for Better Transport called on the Government to rethink its policy on rail fares.

Stephen Joseph, the group’s executive director, said:

Alistair Darling will give his pre-budget report on Monday afternoon.

Transport is likely to feature in the pre-budget report in various ways. On taxation:

Commenting on the RAC Foundation's road-building myth buster [1], Campaign for Better Transport's executive director, Stephen Joseph, said "The road to hell is paved with false myths. It's time for solutions. The RAC Foundation and other supporters of road-building should come up with real solutions to tackle this country's traffic problems. Decades of car-led transport policy have confined us all to a spiral of increasing traffic, leaving people across the country demanding change that they can believe in, not these false myths being presented by the RAC Foundation."

Campaign for Better Transport welcomes the Mayor of London's announcement that the Thames Gateway Bridge has finally been cancelled [1]. Richard Bourn, London Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport, said:

"We're delighted that our work to halt this scheme has paid off in the end. Massive road-building and traffic-generating projects have no place in Transport for London's Business Plan. Now we look forward to the development of sustainable transport projects for the growth areas in East London and the Thames Gateway."

Notes for editors

Reacting to the Government’s draft eco-towns planning policy statement [1], Campaign for Better Transport welcomed the commitment to at least 50% non-car travel, but warned that the commitment would be undermined if the Government did not ensure that the towns had high quality public transport and good local services provided from Day 1. Campaigns Director Jason Torrance said: