Government PolicySUSTAINABLE ROAD TRANSPORT – KEY GOVERNMENT POLICIES1998 transport white paper (July 1998) ‘Simply building more and more roads is not the answer to traffic growth. ‘Predict and provide’ didn’t work.’ (para 1.4) ‘We want to see greener, cleaner vehicles that have less impact on our environment. We want to see better public transport and we will make it easier to walk and cycle. But these alone will not be sufficient to tackle the congestion and pollution that is caused by road traffic: we need to reduce the rate of traffic growth. We also want to see an absolute reduction in traffic in those places and streets where its environmental damage is worst.’ (para 1.35) ‘This White Paper sets a new course for roads policy. The days of ‘predict and provide’ are over – we will give top priority to improving the maintenance and management of existing roads before building new ones.’ (para 3.123) ‘Since new roads can lead to more traffic, adding to the problem not reducing it, all plausible options need to be considered before a new road is built.’ (para 3.126) ‘For all environmentally sensitive areas or sites (for example Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Nature Reserves and National Scenic Areas in Scotland) there will be a strong presumption against new or expanded transport infrastructure which would significantly affect such sites or important species, habitats or landscapes.’ (para 4.201) The above policy ‘will be applied to all forms of transport development which affect sensitive areas or significant aspects of our cultural heritage, such as listed sites or buildings’ (para 4.203) Transport 10-year plan (July 2000) ‘There are physical and environmental, as well as financial, limits to the amount of extra road space we can build. Whilst providing extra capacity can provide real and immediate benefits, it may also free up suppressed demand and even generate new demand. Most people now accept that we cannot rely on roadbuilding as a sustainable long-term solution to the problems of traffic growth and congestion. Simply building more and bigger roads is not the answer: we need a more strategic approach.’ (para 6.26) ‘As stated in the Integrated Transport White Paper, there will be a strong presumption against [transport] schemes that would significantly affect environmentally sensitive sites, or important species, habitats or landscapes.’ (para 6.29) 2004 transport white paper (July 2004) ‘We must manage the growing demand for transport. While additional infrastructure will be necessary, simply providing ever more capacity on our roads and railways, ports and airports is not the answer in the long term. The damage to our environment, landscape, towns and cities and our quality of life would be unacceptable.’ (executive summary, para 8) ‘The long-term trends in travel are evident to all. We cannot build our way out of the problems we face on our road networks. And doing nothing is not an option. So Government will lead the debate on road pricing.’ (executive summary, para 10) ‘We need … to promote [smarter travel] choices by ensuring that new ways of paying for road use are developed so they become practical options.’ (para 3.5) ‘Policies to promote smarter [travel] choices and better [road] network management, together with well-targeted additional capacity, will make a difference. But looking further ahead, they will not be enough on their own to prevent congestion spreading to longer periods each day, and to more roads … The projected increase [in congestion] is unacceptable. … If we are to make a step change in the quality of service provided to road users, we need – in addition to the policies already in place – to revisit the way we pay for using the road network. … Looking ahead, the key strategic choice for road users is between service levels which continue to deteriorate (since we cannot build our way out of congestion), and new ways of paying for road use, which incentivise smarter individual choices about when and how we travel. … There is a need for a mature discussion as to which approach we take. The Government view is that the costs of inaction or unrestricted roadbuilding are too high for society. The time has come seriously to consider the role that could be played by some form of road pricing policy.’ (paras 3.20 to 3.23) The Government will ‘undertake the further research recommended [by the road pricing feasibility study], so that people can engage with a clear proposition, not just an abstract concept’ (para 3.31) ‘Resources from the new Transport Innovation Fund will be available [to local authorities] to support packages which combine road pricing, modal shift, and better bus services’ (para 3.31) ‘There will continue to be a strong presumption against schemes that would significantly affect environmentally sensitive sites or important species, habitats or landscapes’ (executive summary, para 12) ‘The 1998 Integrated Transport White Paper set out the Government's commitment to a presumption against transport schemes that damage landscapes, townscapes, biodiversity and the aquatic environment. This strategy reaffirms that commitment.’ (para 10.28) Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans (December 2004) ‘Local transport authorities should also consider how they could deliver progress in all the shared priority areas through policies aimed at changing travel behaviour, and managing demand for transport services. Sustainable travel policies of this kind should, if introduced in the context of a high-quality LTP, prove highly cost-effective, avoiding the need to spend larger sums on infrastructure-based solutions. … There is a wide range of possible measures in this area. They include: road user charging and workplace parking charging schemes; active management of the availability and cost of car parking and public transport; school, workplace and personalised travel planning; marketing and transport information services (including innovative use of services such as Transport Direct and Traveline, and innovative ticketing offers); setting up websites for car share schemes and facilitating car clubs; measures to promote teleconferencing and teleworking; delivering through-ticketing, 'seamless journeys', and a better experience of public transport, through the development of smart card systems; and other innovative uses of information technology.’ (Part 2, paras 41 and 42) ‘The causes, nature and patterns of congestion are different in every area, and there is no single solution to congestion. The right balance between demand-side solutions (e.g. road pricing / congestion charging, parking pricing and restraints, travel planning, provision of services in a way that reduces demand for travel) and supply-side solutions (e.g. intelligent transport systems, improved information to motorists, other traffic management measures, public transport support, improved walking and cycling options) will be different from area to area. But LTPs should provide evidence that authorities have considered and assessed the potential of all parts of the toolkit – not just capital projects – and an assessment of what the impact of these measures will be.’ (Part 3, para 13) |