Labour plans switch to Rai!freight • State spending will be
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switched from road building to the railways if the Labour Party wins the next general election.
The Conservative's .213bn road building and improvement programme would be replaced by an expansion of the rail network, says Labour in its new manifesto: Looking to the Future.
Claiming that road congestion is costing Britain E15bn a year, Labour says: "We want a high-speed dedicated rail network, together with good roads, to link the regions to the rest of Europe through the Channel Tunnel. This will help Britain compete in the single market and reduce the gap between the regions. "New high-speed railways will reduce congestion on the roads and airlines and cut en vironmental pollution," says the manifesto. At present there is no effective integration between roads, rail, air and water transport, it claims. A new transport forum would have a key role in planning an integrated transport network which would "benefit both the economy and the environment".
Looking to the Future has a warning for the transport industry: "The polluter must pay. And people who damage the environment must pay the price for the mess they cause. Pollution charges must be used as one incentive to cut pollution." Labour also plans to revamp the vehicle excise duty system to favour fuel-efficient vehicles; and road and rail schemes would be assessed according to the benefit they bring to the community and the environment. An Environmental Protection Executive would be established to monitor and control pollution.
The plans to move freight from road to rail have come in for some criticism from Peter Witt, director of the British Road Federation: "It is not a question of either investment in road or rail — both are needed," he says. "The combined effects of short distances and the cost of trans-shipment inevitably mean that for most freight road is quicker, cheaper and more reliable."
Exemption row Hauliers using the A329 at Wallingford, Oxford have been warned by Berkshire County Council that abuse of weight restriction exemption certificates could result in the certificates being revoked, with fines of up to £400 and the involvement of the Traffic Commissioner.
But hauliers using the route say the town's lorry cordon is costing them thousands of pounds in extra fuel costs. Particularly hard hit are owneroperators servicing the M40 extension construction site: one operator who asked not to be named, claims that rerouting via the M4 and A4, is costing him an extra 68 litres (15gal) a day.
The council is adamant that abuse of exemption certificates, valid only for "special limited purposes", has been widespread but is satisfied that its recent warning has succeeded in diverting "hundreds" of lorries away from the town.