NEWS RELEASE - Friday 19th April 2002

Conference on transport and the economy asks: "Is Transport Good for Your Wealth?"

TRANSform Scotland (1) today announced final details of its conference on transport and the economy; the conference is to be held in Edinburgh next Monday, 22nd April 2002 at the Crowne Plaza Edinburgh on The Royal Mile, beginning at 10am. (2)

This conference will explore the linkages between transport and the economy and seek to identify how to break the link between traffic growth and economic growth. This conference is especially relevant following the decision of the Scottish Executive to merge the Transport and Enterprise ministerial briefs.

Speakers at this event come from a broad range of disciplines including senior politicians, the media, industry groups, policy experts, environment campaigns and overseas experience:
¥ leading experts on the links between transport and the economy - e.g. Professor Phil Goodwin of University College London;
¥ international speakers illustrating best practice overseas - from San Francisco and the Netherlands;
¥ a Ministerial address - Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Lewis Macdonald MSP.

TRANSform Scotland Chair David Spaven said: "Scotland continues to suffer the ill effects of ever-increasing traffic - pollution, congestion, road crashes and so on. Therefore a key element in the Scottish Executive's transport strategy must be to implement policies that will break the link between traffic growth and economic growth."

"The links between transport and the economy are complex - much more so than we routinely hear from roads lobby organisations that unthinkingly claim that 'new roads equals new jobs'. This conference will seek to identify ways to maintain economic activity while decreasing traffic levels."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

(1) TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport campaign, bringing together 64 organisations - including transport operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, chambers of commerce and local transport groups - interested in transport, the environment and a sustainable Scotland.

(2) The conference is being held at the Crowne Plaza Edinburgh, 80 High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, 10am to 4.15pm (registration from 9.30am). Keynote speaker Professor Phil Goodwin will be speaking between 10.20am and 10.45am and the Minister is speaking from 10.45am to 11.05am.

(3) Free entry to the conference is available to journalists. Please make yourself known to conference registration on the day. Interviews will be available with speakers (see below) on Monday. Please contact the office for further details.

(4) The speakers at the conference are:

¥ Lewis Macdonald MSP - Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, Scottish Executive
¥ Professor Phil Goodwin, Professor of Transport Policy, University College London
¥ David Spaven - Chair, TRANSform Scotland
¥ Iain Duff, Chief Economist, Scottish Council for Development and Industry
¥ Alf Young, Policy Editor, The Herald
¥ Peter Gibb, Executive Director, Land Reform Scotland ¥ Andy Nash, former Executive Director, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
¥ Stephen Joseph, Executive Director, Transport 2000
¥ Ton Sledsens, Vice President, European Federation for Transport and Environment ¥ Matthew Farrow, Head of Policy, CBI Scotland

(5) Issues addressed at the conference will include:

¥ What is the evidence of linkages between transport and the economy, and between the economy and transport?
¥ Will economic growth always lead to traffic growth - or can the link be broken? What transport policies will allow this "decoupling" to be achieved?
¥ Under what circumstances can investment in new transport infrastructure aid economic activity - and when could it damage it? Is investing in new transport projects an efficient way of bringing about economic growth?
¥ Can - and should - transport policy be used to target changes in industrial structure?
¥ When will reductions in road traffic levels be good for the economy - as well as the environment? Is there any evidence that traffic reduction would impede the economy?
¥ Does increasing mobility aid the economy - or detract from it? What are the consequences of increasing mobility for the environment?