I was pleased to read Tony Grayling’s article (Progress, March/April 2004) referring to Labour’s current transport policy. I, like Mr Grayling, believe that Ken Livingstone has made impressive strides in creating a better and more integrated transport system in our capital.
Central government needs to take heed and move away from its car-centric transport policies and dare to create a strategy that doesn’t pander to the car users lobby but actually offers progressive, sustainable policies towards transport.
In 1998, on the day he launched the government’s ten-year transport plan, John Prescott declared ‘This is the day transport bursts into the light of a new day.’
But Professor David Begg, chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport accuses the government of running scared of car-owning voters. It has already caved in to the motoring lobby by building more roads to ease congestion. And Alistair Darling’s recent amendment to the speed camera system, which will create a more lenient fining system for speeding offenders, seems to further this argument.
Our country is undoubtedly populated by a significant number of car lovers, but the government must follow the London Mayor’s lead in daring to go against the environmentally selfish car lobby and instead look at the wider transport picture.