Archived press release

Stop backing gas guzzlers: back our kids child health expert in dramatic plea to blair

26 June 1998

Dr Ian Roberts, Director of the Child Health Monitoring Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital has written to Tony Blair begging him to reconsider No 10's position. Dr Roberts states that:

. The Unit's survey of children's school related travel patterns in Inner London(published in the British Medical Journal) revealed that most children are rarely or never allowed out without an adult for school or leisure, that 89% of parents were worried about traffic danger, and that only 3% of bicycle owners were allowed to travel on main roads

. Almost a quarter of households in Great Britain have no access to a car. For households in the lowest fifth of incomes, the figure is almost three five. But the children of poor families suffer disproportionately from the adverse effects of car travel. The pedestrian death rate for children in social class 5 is five times that for children of parents in social class 1

. Since 1985 the distance walked every year by children in Britain has fallen by one fifth from 247 miles to 197 miles. This has major long-term health implications: in a twelve year follow up of retired men (non-smokers) the death rate for those who walked less than 1 mile a day was twice that for those who walked more than 2 miles.

Dr Roberts tells Mr Blair:

“The historical equation of transport policy with road traffic policy has left children,the elderly and those without a car socially excluded in our “Top Gear” towns. It would be hard to imagine that any Transport White Paper could be anti-car to the extent that current transport policies are anti-walking and anti-cycling ... If the

Government is committed to reducing inequalities, improving public health, and supporting the environment, then it should reconsider the decision to take the easy option on car use”.

Dr Roberts' plea will reinforce demands for radical action in the White Paper, including:

. targets for traffic reduction - Friends of the Earth and other campaigners believe the target should be 10% on 1990 levels by the year 2010

. more money for alternatives - especially buses and bikes. Doubling the money given to local traffic packages, would cost only £85 million, and the Government could use any income from White Paper measures to fund this and further increases in later years

. further cuts in the road building programme. Friends of the Earth believes that the trunk road programme should be cut by 50%. There should be no new starts for three years to enable money to be saved for re-investment in alternatives.

Commenting, Roger Higman, Senior Transport Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“Dr Roberts' powerful plea should shame all those New Labour termites who are trying to eat away at the foundation of a radical Transport White Paper. Reducing the amount of traffic on our roads, and encouraging walking, cycling and public transport use is not some fancy dream for the future. It is about the health of our kids today and tomorrow. It is also about tackling basic issues of social exclusion. Labour has a priceless opportunity to turn Britain's transport policy away from its choking infatuation with the car. If Tony Blair fails to take it, he may never be forgiven by the parents of the kids whose health and safety will suffer as a result.”

(A full text of Dr Roberts' letter is available from FOE)

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust