Better Transport

In advance of Monday’s 2p rise in fuel duty [1], the first above-inflation rise since 2000, Stephen Joseph, executive director at Campaign for Better Transport [2], said,

"We want to see the revenues from this fuel increase ring-fenced for public transport and other measures that will give people real travel choices, in line with the commitment Gordon Brown made in the 2000 budget [3]. Since 1997, the real cost of motoring has fallen while the cost of using public transport has risen [4]. We welcome this rise in fuel duty if it is used to help level the playing field amongst transport options."

Great Britain makes a higher proportion of its motorised journeys by car than any other European country except Norway [5]. Transport accounts for around 26 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions. Transport campaigners argue that the UK’s work to bring overall emissions under control runs the risk of being derailed by poor performance in the transport sector.

Notes

1. The fuel duty increase was announced in March in the Government’s budget. Also announced at that time were further increases for 2008 and 2009.

2. Campaign for Better Transport is the new name of Transport 2000, which has been securing better transport policy and programmes since 1973.

3. In his budget speech of 2000, the Chancellor announced that he would, in future, make an annual budget decision on real-term rises in road fuel duties - the money to go to a new ring-fenced fund for roads and public transport.

4. Between 1997 and 2006 the cost of travelling by car decreased in real terms by 10%. The corresponding costs of travelling by train increased by 6%, and by bus by 13%. Source: Hansard Debates (17 July 2007)

5. Source: Commission for Integrated Transport: Are we there yet? A comparison of transport in Europe, 2007: http://www.cfit.gov.uk/docs/2007/ebp/index.htm#02