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NEWS RELEASE Monday 17th January 2005 Ken Livingstone congestion charge conference: TRANSform Scotland, the national sustainable transport
alliance, today welcomed the appearance of Mayor of London Ken Livingstone
at the congestion charge conference being held today at the Carlton Hotel,
North Bridge, Edinburgh. David Spaven, Chair of TRANSform Scotland, is
one of the speakers at the conference. David Spaven, Chair of TRANSform Scotland, said: "Traffic delays and increased sickness from
air pollution are bad for business and the wider economy. Fortunately
some very important business interests have had the vision to see that
congestion charging will be good for the economy, but a few high-profile
retailers who are against the scheme seem to hog the headlines. "We shouldn’t necessarily expect retailers
to be the most visionary of organisations. Since the 1960s when pedestrianisation
of city and town centres was first introduced in Britain, retailers have
traditionally opposed pedestrianisation – and yet what is the usual
outcome of removing or reducing car traffic in city streets? Not surprisingly,
people prefer to shop in a safer and cleaner environment, and retailers
typically enjoy a growth of business as a result." ENDS Notes to Editors: [1] Get Edinburgh Moving TRANSform Scotland is part of the Get Edinburgh Moving campaign coalition which is campaigning for a 'YES' vote in February's Transport Edinburgh referendum: see http://www.getedinburghmoving.org END OF PRESS RELEASE |
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