Prioritise on Public Transport and Road Safety over Next Ten Years say FOE Cymru

Friends of the Earth Cymru (FOE Cymru) are calling on the National Assembly and Welsh Local Authorities to forge ahead with 'sustainable' transport investments regardless of whatever is proposed for England in the Government's Ten Year Transport plan, which may be announced tomorrow (1).

The campaigners want to see most of the Welsh transport budget focused on extending public transport choice, together with road safety measures and maintenance of the existing road network.

Neil Crumpton, transport spokesperson, said:

"The right investment decisions over the next ten years are crucial as the effects of transport planning are long-term. If the local and global problems caused by traffic growth are to be tackled the transport budget needs to be focussed on the alternatives to the car."

FOE Cymru believe that the Government's Ten Year Plan may encourage further major roadbuilding in England. However, transport is a devolved matter for the Assembly so Wales can show leadership and address a wide range of its objectives by turning away from spending on bigger and faster roads. The environmentalists point out that motoring costs have remained relatively steady over 25 years while train and bus fares have increased (2).

This should be a decade of public transport investment and road safety to address this damaging imbalance. In ten years time much more will be known about the effect of cleaner vehicles on people, the earth's resources and the global climate. If adverse traffic impacts have been successfully tackled then maybe major roadbuilding ideas could be reassessed but FOE Cymru remains cautions and sceptical about anything that promotes traffic and car dependency.

Notes

1) The Government's 'ten year route map for a transport system fit for the 21st century'.

2) the most recent figures from the DETR index of UK transport costs are listed below:

This shows the increase in the price of different modes in 1999, with 1974 as 100, as follows:
Petrol / Oil = 111
All motoring costs = 100 (i.e. including car purchase, insurance etc)
Rail = 153
Bus = 187
Disposable income = 180

i.e. for all except bus, travel is cheaper compared than the rise in average wealth.