Transport policy in a muddle

Mar 6 2008 by Iain Laing, The Journal

THE Highways Agency doesn’t intend to look at major improvements to the A1 until 2015.

The main road linking the two major capitals of the United Kingdom will remain single carriageway for much of its length in the North East.

At one time it might have been thought that there was a sensible reason behind this.

After all, even if you don’t believe in man-made global warming, you might still reasonably believe that there are far too many cars.

It must be a good thing to discourage car use and encourage people to use public transport, especially the railways, and any government with the national interest at heart would make this its policy.

At one time people were persuaded it had.

In fact, to be specific, that time was on June 6, 1997, when John Prescott, deputy prime minister, whose many duties included implementing an integrated transport policy, said: “I will have failed if in five years time there are not…far fewer journeys by car. It’s a tall order but I urge you to hold me to it.’’

However, five years later, car traffic was up by 7% and the whole thing was quietly forgotten.

Certainly Network Rail has forgotten it, because it says a plan which could increase passenger numbers on trains between London and the North East is not going to be considered for at least another 11 years.

In fact, in a new report, Network Rail says the proposal to reopen the Leamside link between South Durham and Tyneside – which could take freight from the East Coast Main Line to leave room for more passenger trains – might not even be looked at until 2036.

Obviously Network Rail subscribes to the same “Is your journey really necessary?” philosophy as the Highways Agency.

And the Government’s philosophy seems to be to make life as hard for the car driver as possible, while providing no alternative reasonably priced system of public transport.