Blog ARCHIVE
Government silly season spin exposes Lower Thames Crossing delusions
Government silly season spin exposes Lower Thames Crossing delusions Today the UK Government announced it is establishing yet another new regulator and board to track 50 or so major infrastructure projects to ‘speed up’ planning. The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) ‘smart’ motorway will be the first project to have a...
National Highways not being held to account
There was a flurry of publications just before Parliament broke up in July, three of which directly related to National Highways. These reports are quite revealing about what National Highways has and has not achieved. They also show what aspects of National Highways’ performance are not scrutinised, and raise questions...
National Highways failing nature
When National Highways plans and delivers road schemes, it is meant to avoid harming nature and then minimise any impact, which it is then supposed to compensate for. This is called “mitigation” and is a legal requirement. In addition, new rules about Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) require developers to create...
Labour splurges taxpayers’ cash on poor value road schemes
Labour splurges taxpayers’ cash on poor value road schemes Transport Action Network (TAN) [1] is dismayed at today’s announcement by the UK Government to fund a raft of poor value and expensive road schemes such as the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine, A46 Newark, M60 Simister Island, A38 Derby Junctions and 28...
Funding for £1.5bn A66 will undermine growth
Funding for £1.5bn A66 will undermine growth (and only save up to 12 minutes) Transport Action Network (TAN) [1] is dismayed that today the government has announced funding for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine road scheme in Cumbria and North Yorkshire. The mega-road project was last costed at £1.5bn in 2022,...
Overspending on major projects – deliberate or incompetence?
National Highways has been criticised by watchdogs for frequent increases in the cost of its major road schemes, which can occur both before and after construction starts. Schemes can end up costing taxpayers millions – sometimes billions – more than when they were approved, calling into question the reliability of...
Big shift in policy still needed for climate
Big shift in policy still needed for climate Responding to the publication of the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) 2025 Progress Report [1], Chris Todd, Director of Transport Action Network [2] said: “The CCC has tried to find a way to say there's been a "small improvement", to build rapport with...
The Lower Thames Crossing ‘smart’ motorway is the enemy of growth
A poor investment and waste of precious public funds The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) ‘smart’ motorway – located in the far South East and more expensive per mile even than HS21 - poses a direct threat to the economic and social welfare of the people of all nations and regions...
Infrastructure Strategy – delay and confusion on Lower Thames Crossing
Infrastructure Strategy - delay and confusion on Lower Thames Crossing In response to the ‘UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy’ published by HM Treasury on 19 June 2025 [1], Transport Action Network’s [2] Director, Chris Todd, said: "The Strategy published by Chief Secretary Darren Jones MP reflects the bizarre contrast...
Dartford toll hikes: just the beginning
This week saw the government slap a 40% hike in toll charges for the Dartford crossings, raising the basic cost for a car from £2.50 to £3.50. It suggests that perhaps we’re not so far off the mark when we said tolls would have to triple if the Lower Thames...
Calls for urgent action to tackle road safety emergency
Calls for urgent action to tackle road safety emergency Transport Action Network (TAN) [1] is today calling on Ministers Heidi Alexander MP and Lilian Greenwood MP to focus the Department for Transport’s (DfT) highways funding allocation in the spending review [2] on addressing England’s road safety emergency. Four people are...
Road safety record is a car crash
National Highways routinely claims that safety is its “top priority” but this spin is not borne out by its spending decisions or its poor record of reducing serious casualties on its network. Since coming into existence (as Highways England) in 2015, the company has spent a fraction of its huge...
Reaction to £1bn transport funding announced today
Reaction to £1bn transport funding announced today including Lower Thames Crossing TAN’s [1] reaction to today’s announcement by HM Treasury of £1billion for repairing existing structures and funding the Lower Thames Crossing [2]. Chris Todd, Director of TAN said: “The Lower Thames Crossing is such an embarrassment that its latest...
Spending Review cuts active travel funding by 40%
Spending Review cuts active travel funding by 40% In response to the transport announcements in the Chancellor's Spending Review today [1], Transport Action Network's Director, Chris Todd, said: "Confirmation of funding for city region tram, bus and rail projects already announced and for rail projects such as the Transpennine upgrade...
Treasury cuts to cycling and walking budget unlawful, rules Court of Appeal
Treasury cuts to cycling and walking budget unlawful, rules Court of Appeal In a historic judgment, the Court of Appeal has today ruled in Transport Action Network’s (TAN) favour, finding that the March 2023 cuts to cycling and walking funding imposed by the Treasury were unlawful [1]. Coming the day...
JOIN OUR NETWORK
Signing up will allow you to access our monthly newsletter and the latest actions and events