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Campaigners claim traffic triumph as Government backs road traffic reduction bill
28 January 1998
The news coincides with today's publication of an NOP poll for Friends of the Earth showing that 79% of the public agreed that the Government should set targets for reducing the amount of traffic on the roads.
After negotiations, the Government has now agreed to back an amended version of the Bill"to reduce the adverse environmental, social and economic impacts of road traffic." This will be achieved by setting targets for road traffic reduction, or - if the Secretary of State believes that other measures would be more effective - by quantifying the effects these will have on traffic reduction.
The Bill therefore puts traffic reduction plans at the heart of transport planning, requiring all Government transport policies to be designed within a traffic reduction framework.
Ron Bailey, Parliamentary Campaigner for Friends of the Earth said:
"We are delighted that the Government has recognised the need to take urgent action on the problems of too much traffic by backing this important Bill. This is a major success for our campaign. It could lead to real public benefits, by reducing accidents to pedestrians and road users, and cutting the terrible health effects of traffic pollution. If Government backing helps to defeat last ditch lobbying by the roads lobby and a tiny minority of their supporters in the Commons, it will be an important step forward for transport policy in Britain."
Mike Woodin, Principal Speaker of the Green Party said:
"We welcome the Government's support for the principal of traffic reduction targets. However, the Government must act quickly to introduce policies to reduce the harmful effects of road traffic. This is what the country demands."
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
