Over the past century, the car has become a part of everyday life, a symbol of freedom for many. Unfortunately, because of poor public transport and bad planning decisions, the car is all too often the only way of getting around. As a result, our towns and cities are congested and polluted, much of our countryside is starting to be overrun by cars, many children cannot play outside their homes, key wildlife sites are under threat from road building, and communities are divided by busy roads. Road transport is also the fastest growing source in the UK of carbon dioxide, the main gas causing global warming.

As if things aren't bad enough now, the volume of traffic on our roads is forecast to grow by at least 38% over the next 20 years.

But it's not all bad news. The Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997, launched by Friends of the Earth, the Green party and Plaid Cymru, means that, for the first time, local authorities will have to set targets for reducing traffic locally, or at least slowing down the rate of growth. And Friends of the Earth has been instrumental in the virtual abandonment of the Government's road-building programme over the last few years: over 230 proposed new roads have been cancelled, many of them extremely destructive.

And the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport & the Regions, John Prescott, said within days of being appointed last year “I will have failed if in five years time there are not many more people using public transport and far fewer journeys by car. It's a tall order, but I urge you to hold me to it”.

Friends of the Earth is campaigning for:

.    Less traffic on our roads: Friends of the Earth is one of the key movers behind the Road Traffic Reduction (UK Targets) Bill, currently going through Parliament with Government support.

.    More investment in public transport, cycling and walking, giving people real and practical alternatives to using their car.

.    The development of cleaner engines and fuels to help reduce pollution.

Did you know?

.    In January 1998, a Department of Health report revealed that up to 24,000 people may die prematurely every year in Britain as a result of air pollution, much of it from road transport

.    A report published in January 1998 by Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru showed that cutting traffic levels on Britain's roads by 10% is readily achievable. The report was written by Labour's former transport adviser, Professor John Whitelegg.

.    Whenever possible, leave your car at home - walk, cycle or use public transport

.    If you are buying a car, choose a small, fuel-efficient petrol car

.    Find out what your company or employer is doing to cut car travel to work. Do they encourage employees to use public transport or bikes by offering interest-free loans for season tickets or buying bicycles? Do they promote car-sharing?

.    Keep informed - ring the Government's Air Pollution Information Service on 0800 556677, look at p 106 of Teletext or pp 410-419 of CEEFAX, or look up the Government's Internet site http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/airq/aqinfo.htm

.    Report dirty diesel vehicles to your local Vehicle Inspectorate Enforcement office (Only for heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches). Contact the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions helpline on 0171 890 3333 for the number of your regional office.

Further Reading:

Unlocking the Gridlock-The Key to a new Transport Policy, L414 July 1997 £6.95 Report

Road Transport, Air Pollution and Health, 1997, L425, free briefing, 5pp

Summertime Smog, 1997, L424, free briefing, 4pp.

Fighting Road Schemes. November 1995 L371 £4.50 A4 ISBN 1 85750 268 X

Less Traffic, More Jobs: The Direct Employment Impacts of Developing a Sustainable Transport System in the UK., May 1997 T413 £10.00 report 298x210mm 54pp ISBN 185750 304 X

Better Than Bypasses: How a New Approach to Transport Planning Could Solve Local Traffic Problems Better than Road Building, March 1997L409 £6.95 report A4 26pp ISBN 1857503015

Cars Cost the Earth, A5 leaflet, January 1996 L375 Free (Send SAE)

Travelling Light, Alternatives to the South Coast Superhighway, L406 September 1996, £5.00
Cleaner Buses, L238 September 1992, £7.00