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Now Darling has a 30 year plan for transport
Page 7
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TRANSPORT SECRETARY Alistair Darling has admitted the government's 10 Year Transport Plan was too optimistic and looked at the wrong things — he has launched a 20-30-year "continuation" plan in its place.
Speaking as CM went to press, he claimed that in transport terms there would be "no sensible decisions if he didn't look that far ahead".
Plans in the White Paper include charging car drivers up to £129/mile under a nationwide scheme to cut congestion which is modelled on the Lorry Road User Charging scheme.
However,Darling admitted that this would not come into effect until 2014-2019, as it would "not be feasible" before then. He added that the FRUC would go ahead in 2007-08 as there was a "world of difference between 460,000 lorries and 24 million cars".
Freight Transport Association chief executive Richard Turner slams the plan: "The secretary has restated all the known problems but has failed to say when solutions will be provided. The introduction of road pricing for all is inevitable. But with a start date almost a generation away it does nothing to ease congestion today, tomorrow or even next year for the beleagured transport manager trying to make deliveries on time and on budget."
The White Paper also failed to mention the FTA and Road Haulage Association's current campaign for 12ft-wide freight lanes.
When questioned, Darling said he might consider them, but only on new roads. "If we removed 12 feet from current roads I suspect it would not be just car users that would have something to say about it," he said.
Freight accounts for only five pages of the 139-page report. However, among those pages the government does commit itself to introducing a "deposit scheme" to ensure -offending overseas hauliers do not escape penalties as is often the case now".
The report says it will "seek the necessary enabling powers when parliamentary time allows".
• More details next week.