New transport agenda published
RAC Foundation calls for election debate on transport
 New transport policy urgently required, says RAC Foundation |
A hidden transport crisis is looming if the new Government buries its head in the sand and fails to develop and fund a national transport strategy, according to the RAC Foundation.
The Foundation claimed that both the economy and inhabitants of the country will be damaged if transport is not given much higher priority by the party taking power. Congestion is currently costing transport users and operators at least £15 billion a year and could double in the next decade if nothing is done.
The need for improvement to transport is so fundamental that the Foundation has appealed for party politics to be shelved and cross-party agreement sought on the central issues.
In spite of its vital importance to the wealth and vitality of the country, and the fact that transport affects most voters every day, it has barely shown up on the pre-election campaign radar.
The RAC Foundation launched its own "Agenda for Action" on Friday, urging that transport planning and policy making are not swept under the carpet, and highlighting the issues most in need of immediate action.
The Foundation’s Transport Agenda calls for:
Urgent improvements to the provision and operation of the UK’s roads network
- Government should improve the management and performance of the road network as a matter of urgency
- An independent Roads Regulator should be established to oversee the operation of roads.
- Disruption and delay should be reduced.
- New road capacity should be examined. All main motorways and key trunk roads should be widened.
- Environmental impacts of road improvements should be reduced by more tunnels and bypasses.
- The condition of much of the local road network must be addressed.
- A comprehensive national road user charging scheme should be introduced - but only when technically feasible and acceptable to the motorist.
- An appropriate National Strategic Road Network should be created.
Transport in planning
- Appropriate recognition must be given to transport in land-use and economic planning. If new housing is to be built the transport infrastructure must be improved.
Parking
- Parking provision should be placed at the heart of national and local planning policy
Road and Road User Safety
- Insufficient importance is given to the education of road users, especially during their formative years. The introduction of a ‘road safety’ module into the national curriculum could improve road safety.
- Motoring penalties should be supplemented with courses to re-educate drivers.
- Re-training should be offered as an alternative to, or part of criminal proceedings or sentence, depending on the nature or circumstances of the offence.
- As well as re-training, the RAC Foundation believes that the range of penalties for motoring offenders should be increased in scope to include community service orders.
- Although good road design, construction and maintenance will not prevent an unsafe driver from a collision, high quality roads can improve safety. Good, clear and visible signing and effective lighting are essential for the safety of all road users.
- A review of speed limits should be undertaken to ensure that they are appropriate for the type of road along with more flexible speed limits relating to time of day or conditions with perhaps an increase in the motorway speed limit.
- There should be a review of the role of speed camera partnerships and more work done on causes of accidents.
- The RAC Foundation for Motoring urges government to re-introduce certain elements of the Road Safety Bill at the earliest opportunity.
Sue Nicholson, Head of Campaigns for the RAC Foundation said, "Transport has to be one of the first issues tackled by the new Government. Without urgent action our transport system is headed for the buffers.
"Transport investment as a proportion of GDP in the UK is among the lowest for developed countries – the United Kingdom collects more than four times as much revenue from road users as it spends on all forms of transport and about seven times the amount it spends purely on roads.
"We claim to be the world’s fourth largest economy yet we have a transport system that sometimes resembles something from the third world. The USA actually spends more on transport than it receives in revenues.
"The Government must recognise the key role of its transport system and take major steps to address it. It should ensure that expenditure on the road infrastructure is more closely related to tax taken from the motorist. The motorist will not accept higher levels of taxation without more being spent on transportation."
ed said:
The relative importance of Transport in the minds of those that hope to run our country has been highlighted by the complete absense of any cogent thinking or policy making in the area. Conspicuous by it absense.
Agreed. It's a strategic issue, which saves money indirectly.
I think I'm right in saying that only the Tories have tried to fish for the motorists' vote, but you would have to look hard to find it.
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