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New planning rules could cut car dependency – but only if transport comes first
The Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) marks a significant change in how England’s future development will be planned. At Transport Action Network, we have consistently argued that new homes should be built where people can get around without having to rely on a car. For too long, developments have been built on the…
Lower Thames Crossing: Digging Up the Truth
When publicly funded infrastructure projects grow to a multi-billion-pound scale, transparency should grow with them. Instead, the £11 billion Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) has become a textbook example of government secrecy. For years, campaigners and local communities have been asking a simple, fundamental question: is this massive, destructive £11 billion Smart Motorway actually worth it?…
National Highways must come clean on pedestrian and cycle safety
We recently highlighted National Highways’ serious failure to meet its road casualty reduction targets – despite their claim that “safety is our most important commitment”. Worse still is their failure to protect the very people whose safety they most need to be concerned about: those travelling along or across the road corridors they manage on foot, by cycle or on horseback.
Road safety still not a priority for National Highways
With the latest National Highways Report and Accounts and their regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Annual Report and Accounts now out, we’re sharing our key headlines from the reports, and it’s not a positive picture for road safety, carbon emissions or taxpayers’ money. Road Safety The most startling headline from this year’s…
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The heat is on (the next Prime Minister)
During yet another June where temperature records were broken and people struggled to cope with temperatures more usual in southern Europe, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) released its latest progress report to Parliament. It shows that emissions for surface transport increased by 2.7% in 2025, with the sector now responsible for over 30% of all…
Is the Lower Thames Crossing the New HS2?
HS2 has become shorthand for infrastructure failure in the UK. Sadly, lessons have not been learnt, and the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) could soon become the new poster child for infrastructure project failure. Mile for mile, the LTC is likely to be more expensive than HS2. The latest LTC cost estimate is £11 billion for…
Labour to privatise new roads
Despite a drubbing at the local elections in England, a wipeout in Wales, and a poor showing in Scotland, Keir Starmer and his government seem determined to press ahead regardless. While Starmer clings on for the time being he maintains that he is sticking to the task of delivering the change that people voted for,…