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Fancy losing another working week a year stuck in traffic? If not, tell the Government the Way to Go ... Drivers will lose the equivalent of another working week a year stuck in traffic by the end of the decade [1], [2] unless the Government urgently changes its transport policy, according to new figures published today by a coalition of over 25 environment and social justice groups [3]. The figures are released today (Tuesday 10 February) by the Way to Go coalition as it launches a major public campaign to lobby the Government on transport policy. The Government is currently revising its 10 year plan for transport [4]. The revised plan, due to be published this summer, will set out policy priorities and spending plans up to 2016. The coalition is asking hundreds of thousands of people to send postcards and e-mails to tell the Government (in particular Transport Secretary Alistair Darling and Chancellor Gordon Brown - both Scottish MPs) the sort of transport system they want to see [5]. The coalition is calling for the revised 10 year transport plan to give more funding to 12 measures that will help reduce traffic levels, leading to a cleaner environment; vibrant, enjoyable neighbourhoods; tranquil, beautiful countryside and a more socially-inclusive transport system. The measures are: TRANSform Scotland Campaigns Director Colin Howden said: "The major challenge for Government is to reduce escalating traffic levels. If the Government is not prepared to take tough decisions to rein in traffic growth then Britain's transport system will simply get worse and worse. These proposals would increase transport choice, reduce traffic levels by up to a quarter at peak periods [6] and reduce the amount of time spent travelling by car. Simply throwing money at road building will only bring more traffic and congestion and encourage longer journeys." Friends of the Earth Scotland's Chief Executive Duncan McLaren said: "The two Ministers who will make or break the future of Britain's transport are both Scottish MPs. Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown need to be told the way to go on transport. Everyone apart from the Government accepts that Britain's transport system is in a state of crisis. The Way to Go campaign gives a clear vision of what we need to do to tackle this crisis and reduce transport's impact on the environment. "Decades of Government failure have penalised public transport users while car use has become ever cheaper. Over the past 30 years, public transport fares have risen by at least 60% while motoring costs have remained static. Over the lifetime of the Government's 10-year plan, car fuel costs, on present trends, are expected to fall by 30% in real terms while public transport fares will continue to rise." Help the Aged Scotland Policy Officer Stuart Hay said: "When it comes to transport policy the government is definitely missing the bus and pensioners are suffering. The free concessionary fares scheme in Scotland is very welcome but it must be matched by much greater investment in the bus network to provide more frequent and convenient services. Improvements are also needed to provide decent pavements to prevent the many trips and broken hips, which add to NHS waiting lists." ENDS NOTES FOR EDITORS [1] According to the National (GB) Travel Survey 1999 - 2001, the average person spent 22.51 minutes per day as a car driver, and 13.31 minutes per day as a car passenger. This gives a total of 35.82 minutes per day spent travelling by car. Analysis of the Government's 10 year transport plan by Professor Phil Goodwin of University College London has shown that the Government's original forecasts for the 10 year transport plan would result in a reduction of only 0.7% in average car journey times for a given distance travelled. When the estimated 17% rise in traffic levels is added in, this results in predicted daily travel times in 2010 of 26.14 minutes as a driver and 15.46 minutes as a passenger, totalling 40.46 minutes per day. This is an increase of 5.78 minutes per day or 2103.92 minutes - just over 35 hours - per year. [2] The Scottish Executive has forecast that traffic levels in Scotland will rise by 27% between 2001 and 2021. The Executive has set itself the target of stabilising traffic levels at 2001 levels by 2021. However, there are no interim targets set to achieve this reduction and current transport policies, skewed as they are toward a £1billion road building programme, are not likely to achieve this target. The Ten Year Transport Plan contains implications for the whole of Britain. Whilst responsibility for most transport policies now lies with the Scottish Executive, there are a number of transport issues which remain with Westminster. In addition, the Spending Review 2004 process which enables the Treasury to allocate funding to other government departments and the devolved administrations, will see Gordon Brown distributing money to the Scottish Executive for them to spend on areas including transport. In the context of the Way to Go manifesto, lower speed limits, rail freight policy, a nationwide rail card and pay-as-you-go road charging are transport policy issues which are largely still 'reserved powers' held by the UK Department for Transport (i.e. by Alistair Darling). [3] The Way to Go coalition is campaigning to influence the GovernmentÕs review of its 10 year plan for transport. It is made up of Age Concern England; Campaign to Protect Rural England; Council for National Parks; CTC - the national cyclistsÕ organisation; Carplus - the car club network; Citizens Advice; DaRT (Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard Users Ltd); Environment Transport Association; Friends of the Earth England, Wales & Northern Ireland; Friends of the Earth Scotland; Help the Aged; Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People; JMU Access Partnership; Living Streets; London Cycling Campaign; National Council of Women of Great Britain; National Federation of Bus Users; National Federation of Women's Institutes; Railfuture; RamblersÕ Association; Royal National Institute for the Blind; SERA (Socialist Environment and Resources Association); Slower Speeds Initiative; Sustrans; TRANSform Scotland; Transport 2000; Transport Salaried Staffs' Association; UNISON. [4] Transport 2010, the GovernmentÕs 10 year plan for transport, was published in July 2000. It sets out the GovernmentÕs transport priorities and spending plans for this decade. A progress report was published in December 2002. The revision of the plan is being carried out alongside the GovernmentÕs Spending Review, in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer decides how much each Government department can spend for the next three years. [5] Postcards are available from any of the Way to Go member organisations. Emails can be sent to MPs via the coalitionÕs website at http://www.waytogo.org.uk [6] Figures from 'Less Traffic Where People Live: how local transport schemes can help cut traffic' written by Lynn Sloman from the Transport for Quality of Life Consultancy, published by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, University of Westminster and Transport 2000 Trust. Summary available on request from Transport 2000. [7] The recently published (20/01/04) 'Household Transport in 2002: some Scottish Household Survey' results found that: 47% of people who take a car to work said they could use public transport. Over half of those said public transport was 'inconvenient'. 68% of commuters said they used private cars or vans with only 12% using bus and 3% using rail. For 'travel to work': 68% of commuters said that they travelled to work by car or van (57 per cent as a driver and 11 per cent as a passenger), 13 per cent walked, 12 per cent went by bus, 3 per cent took a train and 1 per cent cycled. 62 per cent of men drove to work compared to 52 per cent of women. Source: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00316-00.asp END OF PRESS RELEASE |