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Foe tells blair to stand firm against the hauliers
22 March 1999
Friends of the Earth urged the Prime Minister, Tony Blair to stand firm against road hauliers who are demonstrating today in Park Lane, the most polluted street in Britain [1].
Lorries consume 10.2 million tonnes of diesel every year and emit 32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide [2], the principal cause of global warming. Higher duties are an essential component of both the Labour, and the previous Conservative, Government's strategy for encouraging fuel efficiency and cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
Lorries are also significant contributors to urban smogs and particularly the small particles that kill up to 9,000 people annually. Heavy lorries are responsible for half the particles emitted in London, a quarter of those emitted in the West Midlands, almost a fifth of those in Manchester and half of those emitted in Glasgow [3].
Friends of the Earth believes that, if Mr Blair is concerned to cut freight costs, he should use some of the money raised through fuel duties to invest in 'piggyback' facilities to transfer lorries onto trains.
Roger Higman, Senior Transport Campaigner, of Friends of the Earth said:
“Cutting duties on diesel will only encourage more companies to send their goods by road, causing more heavy lorries to thunder through the backstreets and country lanes of Britain. If Mr Blair is worried about business costs, he should invest in better railfreight facilities rather than cutting fuel duties”.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] FOE Press Notice 21 March 1999 'Gasping for the Millienium'
[2] Source: Transport Statistics Great Britain 1998
[3] Source: Airborne Particles Expert Group 1999 'Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in the United Kingdom' Table 3.20
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
