Archived press release

Green Groups surround the Department of Transport in call for Road Traffic Reduction

13 April 1996

Supporters of Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party today(Saturday) surrounded the Department of Transport with placards calling on it to "Cut Traffic Now -Support the Road Traffic Reduction Bill" [1].

The protest was the culmination of a series of public meetings all over the country in support of the Bill [2]. It came just weeks before the Department of Transport is expected to publish a Green Paper that is expected to reject the use of targets to control spiralling traffic growth, leading the Government into further conflicts with the green movement in the run up to the General Election [3].

Charles Secrett, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth said:

"The Government's failure to control traffic growth has led to increased congestion, health-threatening air quality episodes and massive damage to nationally important wildlife sites. The Road Traffic Reduction Bill will force Ministers to set targets for traffic reduction - making them plan transport in ways that meet economic, social and environmental goals."

David Taylor, Principal Spokesperson for the Green Party said:

"The Road Traffic Reduction Bill attacks the root cause of the Government's failure to plan transport. We aim to take advantage of the deep rooted public concern over air pollution and road-building to force the Bill through Parliament."

Cynog Dafis MP, promoter of the Bill said:

"Parliament must recognise that the debate over transport transcends party-political ideologies. The campaign for the Road Traffic Reduction Bill will seek the support of MPs from all parties." ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The "Surround the DoT" action will convene at Jubilee Gardens at 2:00 pm and arrive for a photocall outside the Department of Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street at 3:15 pm. The photocall will involve protestors holding placards calling on the Department of Transport to "Cut Traffic Now - Support the Road Traffic Reduction Bill". The placards are designed to form a continuous roadway around the DoT with the message spelt out again and again.

The protest is part of a national campaign by Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party to build support for the Road Traffic Reduction Bill.

If passed, the Bill would:

require the Secretary of State for Transport to draw up a "National Road Traffic Reduction Plan" to achieve a 5% reduction in road traffic miles by 2005, and 10% by 2010. ensure the Plan is reported to and debated by Parliament annually. require Local Authorities to draw up local Road traffic Reduction Plans authorising measures they consider appropriate to curtail traffic in their area enable parish and town councils to draw up road traffic reduction plans.

On 20 March, 1996, Cynog Dafis MP introduced the Road Traffic Reduction Bill into Parliament under the ten minute rule. However due to shortage of time it is unlikely that the Bill will be passed during this parliamentary session. Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party are therefore looking for an MP to introduce it as a Private Members Bill later this year, or in later years.

Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party have no illusions about the difficulties of getting a Bill such as this through Parliament: - one MP can talk out a Bill; the Government can table hundreds of amendments to its progress. Many private members bills have been wrecked in this way.

The Strategy

The green groups are therefore adopting a four-part strategy to build support for the Bill and secure its passage through Parliament:

* Regular lobbying of MPs and Government with detailed arguments rebutting any points made against the Bill; * Building up a powerful supporting alliance of national NGOs and statutory bodies; * Building up a powerbase in every constituency in the UK so that every MP knows the local political cost of opposing this Bill. This process includes recruiting 25,000 active supporters and at least 5,000 locally based organisations; * Demonstrating the level of national support to change the political climate and agenda. Surrounding the DoT is the first step toward this. Today over 1000 people will be on the streets demonstrating their support for the Bill. Further events are being organised nationally to demonstrate support for the Bill. It is expected these will include a rally next year at which 50,000 people will attend.

[2] During the spring, Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Party has held public meetings throughout the country in support of the Road Traffic Reduction Bill. Locations included Newbury, Oxford, Sunderland, Swindon, Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, Cambridge, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Greenwich, Plymouth, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, Lewes, Canterbury, Braintree and Cardiff. Throughout the tour, support for the Bill has been phenomenal.

[3] Later this month the Government is expected to announce its response to the eighteenth report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which made sweeping recommendations for changes to transport policy in November 1994. The Independent (2 April, 1996) suggests that Ministers have already ruled out setting targets to control traffic growth, as envisaged by the Road Traffic Reduction Bill.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust