At least link miways RAC
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k CALL for some quick decisions about Britain's future transport policy has been made by the RAC.
And at the same time Sir Clive Bossom, chairman of the Club, proposed an emergency plan for the completion of "urgently needed" missing motorway links.
The RAC submitted a detailed submission to the Government pn the Transport Policy consultative document.
Commenting on the submission, Sir Clive said: "The document has clearly explained why there can be no change in the predominant movement of goods and people by road."
This demonstrated why sufficient public investment in the urgently needed highway improvements is an essential counterpart to the huge private investment in motor transport, sir Clive went on.
Blackmail
Ministers must not allow themselves to be dissuaded from reaching unavoidable decisions by "the blackmailing effects of statements that rail fares would have to be substantially increased if subsidies to the railways are to be reduced."
The RAC put forward five major points: • An emergency plan to guarantee that the missing motorway links be completed as-quickly as possible should be introduced. It would be funded by the money saved from cutting public transport subsidies.
• Approximately 90 per cent of passengers and freight are carried by road and this is unlikely to alter substantially.
• It is a "pipedream" to believe that large amounts of long-distance freight traffic could be shifted from road to rail.
• Road improvements make an immense contribution to road safety.
• Great environmental benefits are provided by motorways as well as all purpose by-pass roads.
The Club has mixed feelings abolit the proposal to set up a National Transport Council. It fears that lack of unanimity in such a body could produce further delays which the country can ill-afford.
"It will be calamitous if the transport review does not produce a realistic new approach instead of continuing the past history of the road programme which has for too long been too little to late," commented Sir Clive.