A Conservative Government will improve Britain’s transport system to strengthen our economic competitiveness, provide better services for travellers and help fight climate change.
THE HIGH SPEED RAIL REVOLUTION
We will build a high-speed rail line connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with the Continent through the Channel Tunnel. This will:
- Create jobs across the country with a major boost for the economies of the West Midlands and the north
- Provide a greener alternative for thousands of car and lorry journeys clogging up some of the busiest motorways in the country
NO THIRD RUNWAY AT HEATHROW
A Conservative Government will cancel all moves to a third runway at Heathrow. Labour’s reckless plans for a new runway would inflict major damage on the environment and the quality of life of millions of people.
Our goal will be to make Heathrow airport better not bigger. That means breaking up BAA’s monopoly over so much air capacity in the south east, allowing passengers to vote with their feet if they receive poor service and choose an airport run by a different operator. We will also provide a high speed rail alternative to thousands of short haul flights at Heathrow, freeing up landing slots at the airport and helping to deal with overcrowding problems.
IMPROVING BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS
To tackle overcrowding, improve services and ensure the rail industry puts passengers first, we will reform Network Rail to make it accountable to passengers and transform the Rail Regulator into a powerful passenger champion with authority to block the bonuses of Network Rail senior executives.
Find out more about our plans by downloading ‘Getting the best for passengers’.
CUTTING CONGESTION
We will focus on tackling the worst bottlenecks on Britain’s roads. In some cases this will mean making better use of the capacity we have; in others, it will mean building new roads. Providing an improved public transport system will also be an important element of our strategy to tackle congestion.
We will put in place measures to deliver a national recharging network to boost greener driving choices and the switch to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
And we will ensure that overseas trucks who use UK roads contribute towards the cost of their maintenance, tackling a long-standing competitive disadvantage for domestic haulage companies.
MAKING LOCAL TRANSPORT GREENER
We will scrap Labour’s attempts to bully local councils into introducing local road-pricing in return for vital transport funding. We will liberate this money, turning it into a Transport Carbon Reduction Fund, allowing local councils and voluntary groups to apply for funding for the green travel initiatives that will work best for their communities, including projects to encourage cycling and improve real-time information and priority measures for bus services.
Why is there no regulatory body for bus services outside of London? Arriva Midalnds are not governed by anybody except themselves meaning they put their fares up when they want, dont respond to customers when they have no option but to complain.
Hi Sarah,
This is a great question – I’m going to forward it to the leader of our group on the council and see if I can get a satisfactory response for you.
Jack
Hi Sarah,
The answer to your question as that apparently the bus companines outside London are regulated by a body called the Traffic Commissioners. Any proposals for new routes, route changes and fares are put to them for comment and approval before they are implemented.
Whilst they are private companies and must make decisions based on usage and commercial viability there is also the back stop of the Traffic Commissioners who are there to act in the public interest and will intervene when they consider it necessary.
There are also other bodies to represent passenger interests who consult with and are consulted by the bus companies of which Derby City Council are one.
I hope this helps – please get back to me if you have any other great questions like this.
Jack
Hi Jack. Although the no-fly zone is awful for those caught up in it, trying to get home or on holiday or whatever, do you think there might be an upside? Could it be that people will realise there are other ways of travelling even quite long distances in Europe by rail now, for example? Derby is a great railway town – we should make more of its history.
Hi Su,
I totally agree that the impact of this event has been hideous for huge numbers of businesses and families. I have masses of sympathy for them and hope that their issues get resolved as soon as possible.
However, you’re point is an interesting one and I agree that, sometimes, it is useful for us humans to be put “back in our box” and reminded that nature is boss.
As someone who’s studied the social and environmental impacts of business I hope that, if any good can come of this, it’ll be a brief reminder to us all that we must not take our planet for granted and we must treat it with the respect it deserves.
Jack,
You state that the Tories will try to make best use of existing transport capacity, but will also buld new roads. How will you deal with the issue of induced demand, whereby additional capacity is used purely because it is provided? By bulding new roads, you invite more car use. Will new roads be purpose built for public transport?
Carl