Blog ARCHIVE
Car Free Day: the chance to reimagine the future
Thursday 22nd September is World Car Free Day: a day that encourages people to get from A to B without a car. Some towns and cities make it easier than others to do this – on this special day and also the other 364 days of the year. While this...
Taking the wrong road for climate change
With another stark reminder this summer of how quickly the climate is changing, as heat waves and drought hit Europe again and with devastating floods in Pakistan, you would expect that future plans would prioritise reducing emissions fast. In an emergency, you need radical action, not more of the same...
Are we turning the corner on road building?
The recent Climate Change Committee (CCC) 2022 Progress Report to Parliament criticised the Government’s road building plans for increasing demand and emissions. It stated that they should not be encouraging unconstrained traffic growth and needed to be compatible with net-zero. Could we finally be turning the corner on road building...
Let’s come together to drive transport change
Why we are organising our first national conference We are in a climate emergency and road transport is the biggest source of carbon emissions in the UK. While the Government has set what they consider to be the ‘world’s most ambitious climate change target’, Grant Shapps has recently been approving...
FLAGSHIP ROAD SCHEME UNDER THREAT?
The £8.2 billion Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), billed as the “largest road scheme in a generation” has been beset by problems since it was first dreamt up a decade or so ago. Could its huge cost and massive carbon impact finally see the scheme face the Treasury axe? The LTC...
Radical reform of Welsh bus services
Photo: Shutterstock.com / Ceri Breeze Three quarters of all public transport journeys in Wales are made by bus and approximately 80% of bus users do not have access to a car. This highlights the importance of the bus in providing choice and opportunities for everyone. Yet, bus service availability has...
Speak to your candidates about a better future
The local elections on the 5th May are an excellent opportunity to show candidates how important safer streets, cleaner air and better public transport are to you. They will be keen to hear your views, and if enough people tell them that sustainable transport is a priority, they will be...
Spring Statement: It could have been worse
(but it could have been so much better) The Spring Statement (or mini-budget) announced by Rishi Sunak contained few surprises in the end as he struck a cautious note on Government finances. The predicted 5p cut in fuel duty was announced to great fanfare but in reality will make little...
Rethinking ‘Smart’ Motorways
After years of relentless campaigning by Smart Motorways Kill and bereaved families, the Government has finally postponed the rollout of some new ‘Smart’ Motorways whilst 5-years of safety data is gathered. This pause gives the Government the opportunity to fix failings in the planning process that have allowed Smart Motorways...
Cut fares not services!
Over the last decade, the Government has reduced fuel duty year on year so that motoring costs have fallen in real terms, even with recent fuel price rises. In comparison, it has raised rail fares above inflation for nearly every year since 2010. Meanwhile, the increase in traffic caused by...
The “carbon neutral roads” con
The controversies surrounding carbon-offsetting are likely to be a big feature of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. Governments are desperately looking for ways to carry on increasing emissions with a ‘business as usual’ approach, whilst pretending this can be ‘balanced out’ elsewhere with offsetting schemes. The same tricks are...
Tell Rishi Sunak to stop funding RIS2
The £27 billion RIS2 roads programme is under pressure like never before. With your help we can give it a big nudge to push it over the edge. The Treasury is asking for your views on priorities for the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), which will set out Government spending for the...
Who will prioritise climate change?
TAN is shocked the High Court has ruled that it was lawful for the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, not to consider the impacts on climate change when he approved the £27 billion Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) roads programme . When our case was heard at the High Court in June,...
High Court to rule on net zero scrutiny of ministers
High Court to rule on net zero scrutiny of ministers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mr Justice Holgate will give judgment at 2pm on Monday 26th July on Transport Action Network’s (TAN) judicial review of the Secretary of State for Transport’s decision to approve the “largest ever” roads programme. Published in March...
Step forward as DfT agrees roads policy review
The Department for Transport has partially backed down in the face of our second legal challenge, agreeing to review its outdated roads policy which dismisses climate change (BUT see UPDATE below). Buried in the DfT’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan was a concession to review the National Policy Statement for National Networks...
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