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Start the escalator
Page 26
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IT'S TIME TO restart the fuel tax escalator. Tony Blair found his reverse gear quickly enough during the fuel protests of 2000 and this government of political cowards has been running scared of the motoring lobby ever since.
The government took us off the fuel tax escalator, which was ironically one of the few policies started by the Conservatives which actually worked. New Labour then kept its distance from London's congestion charging scheme, despite knowing that it is the only policy which could take them out of the slow lane to nowhere.
London has clearly shown what can be done with a combination of carrot and stick policies, with a rapid expansion of the bus network complementing the successful introduction of road pricing.
The lessons are clear: the only way to get this country moving again is by liberating motorists from their little metal boxes.
Since 1997 the cost of motoring has continued to decline while the cost of public transport has continued to rise:The result is a policy paralysis which leads directly to more congestion as we get more cars on the road, travelling further.
The figures for traffic growth slowed significantly in the last two years of the fuel tax escalator and have accelerated since it was abolished. Jenny Jones Deputy Mayor for London City Hall London