Better Transport

Environmental groups today issued a manifesto [1] which calls on the next Government to ensure that local, regional and national transport plans are integrated effectively to improve transport and ensure cost-effectiveness. The manifesto sets out proposals which would radically improve transport while keeping spending within existing budgets [2]. It draws on successful initiatives across the country which, if rolled out nationally, would:

The claimed benefits of new roads don’t work out in practice and some roads actually create new problems, according to research for the Highways Agency unearthed by Campaign for Better Transport [1]. The findings cast major doubts on the value for money of road building and coincide with warnings from the Department for Transport that regional authorities should expect substantial cuts in their transport budgets.

The Government reports looked at what actually happened after road schemes had been built. The reports found:

Campaign for Better Transport has reacted to the fare changes being introduced on 2 January 2010 by calling on the Government to review rail fares regulation and cut fares to the European average. [1]