Secretary fails to excite
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SPEAKING at the British Road Federation's annual general meeting last Thursday, Tony de Boer, BRF's Chairman, described Secretary of State for Transport Nicholas Ridley's response to the CBI and BRF infrastructure reports, as 'unexciting and hardly encouraging'.
The BRF acknowledges that the Secretary of State cannot be criticised for pointing out that "arguments for additional road schemes have to be supported by hard facts." But it was disappointed that he seemed unaware of the extent to which both the CBI report (The Fabric of the Nation) and the BRF, "Challenge and Opportunity" reports have already provided these facts. They both include positive and considered suggestions as to how the money should be found.
Mr de Boer was pleased that the Secretary of State had promised that the reports would be considered in detail, and looked forward to an early, comprehensive and convincing response.
Mr de Boer said "The Secretary of State admitted that his Department's traffic forecasts may have been too cautious.
We are therefore glad to hear that the Department is reconsidering these as they will have a significant bearing on the individual cases for, and economic returns from, all the schemes shown in our paper: A Policy for Roads 1984-85 to 1993-94.
In fact the vehicle mileage travelled by all motor traffic has from 1980 onwards been above the levels indicated."