Transport Introduction

Traffic is a growing problem. To solve the crisis the UK Government plans to spend £billions on new roads and airports. Meanwhile our railway system is close to collapse and all of us suffer - especially those without cars.

It's time the Government took a long hard look at the alternatives. Friends of the Earth is on the case !

Traffic

Road traffic

Road traffic levels in the UK are growing. The response from successive Governments has been to build new roads. Traffic levels on Britain's roads have risen by over 80% in the last 20 years [Transport Statistics Great Britain 2000.]

Friends of the Earth believes this approach isn't working. Building new roads often:

means more traffic - experts have shown many traffic improvement schemes result in more car journeys
wrecks the town and countryside
is hugely expensive

And what's more - analysis shows that the impact on journey times of the Government's new roads will be tiny (about a second per mile). Motorway trips will actually take longer because of traffic growth.

Buses

If not roads and car parks ..then what?

West London suffers huge problems from traffic. New roads and car parks are not the answer. We need:

better buses and trains
dedicated bus lanes, low-floor vehicles, more frequent and reliable services
cycling and walking in safety
traffic calming, cycle networks, 'walking buses'
Green Commuter Plans

Train

Railways

Despite huge public and private investment, Britain's railways are failing to deliver. The aftermath of the Hatfield disaster hasn't helped, but the problems are deep-rooted.

Complexity is chaos. Privatisation split the UK railway system into over 100 companies. The result has been chaos. Connections no longer connect. Dozens of ticket tariffs and confusing information means that even simple tasks like finding out how much your journey will cost and when your train will depart can be very difficult.

Friends of the Earth believes that the rail companies should work together better to offer:

Service - efficient and reliable
Fares - affordable and easily-understood
Information - accurate and up-to-date

The Government plans to spend £60 billion on Britain's railways over the next 10 years. But much of this will be spent on mega-scale projects - such as the East and West Coast Main Lines and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link - rather than on commuter journeys where it would have the biggest impact on car traffic.

Friends of the Earth says "It's time the Government gave us a publicly-controlled, publicly-accountable railway network".

Cars

Love affair with the car

Our Government's love affair with the car is hurting the poorest sectors of our society most. Over 70% of the poorest 20% of households in Britain don't own a car [Office of National Statistics: Family Spending 1999-2000.]

Although they don't have cars, pensioners and people on low incomes tend to suffer most from the effects of a car-based transport system. Poorer households are more likely to live near major roads where there is increased pollution and road accidents. Inadequate public transport means that people without cars don't have good access to jobs, shops and other services.

Better towns

The solutions

The solutions to these problems lies in tackling them directly. We need:

improved public transport: more reliable, regular and accessible buses
more enforced bus lanes
strict controls and enforcement on parking
safer streets
lower speed limits - 20 mph in towns and 10mph in residential areas.
priority to pedestrians over cars in residential areas
low-car housing

More information

General information on transport and the environment can be found on the national Friends of the Earth web site.

Transport 2000, the national environmental transport campaign, shares our views. Visit the T2000 web site and see their 'Focus on London' article.

For some statistics of transport in London and discussion of the issues see travel trends page.

Transport is a big issue in West London. These groups have campaigns on transport:

A particular issue is the proposed tram which would run from Uxbridge to Shepherd's Bush. This takes it through the boroughs of Hillingdon, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham. A considerable anti-tram lobby has built up. However, the anti-tram lobby offers no cogent alternative. For more information, see West London tram web page.