Blog ARCHIVE
King’s Speech Analysis
Labour has hit the ground running since the election in July. Forty Bills were announced in the first Kings Speech of this Parliament, setting a challenging timetable. It will be interesting to see whether the new Government can keep up this pace and deliver. In terms of surface transport, there...
Bridge infill scandals
When British Rail was broken up for privatisation, its assets were dispersed amongst various players in the rail industry or flogged off, often with little thought to their wider value or importance. For some bizarre reason National Highways, a company solely focussed on maintaining and developing the strategic roads network,...
Healthy travel is good for wildlife
This blog is part of our healthy travel choices series. Previously, we looked at road safety and giving children more freedom. Here, we are focusing on how healthy travel helps wildlife. This is very timely given the Restore Nature Now march on 22 June in London and elsewhere around the...
Comparing Party Manifestos on Transport
In this blog, we try to look under the skin of each party’s manifesto to work out what they are really saying while comparing them where we can to the other parties. While there are some expected differences such as on road building, there is a surprising amount of commonality...
Plan for Drivers revelations
From active travel to backing drivers With Conservatives announcing a “Backing Drivers Bill”, it’s time to shed light on how ministers went from strong support of healthy travel to hindering it in a matter of months. While excerpts of these ministerial briefings have been quoted in the media, they have...
Cancelling white elephant road scheme would release billions
Cancelling white elephant road scheme would release billions Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced on Friday [1] that he was extending the deadline to make a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing to 4 October. This was to enable a new Government to have the time to fully consider the application....
Road Investment Strategy must prioritise maintenance, not new roads
Road Investment Strategy must prioritise maintenance, not new roads The Department for Transport’s (DfT) is expected to publish this week its draft third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), setting out priorities and an outline budget for National Highways for 2025-2030. Transport Action Network (TAN) has called for the draft RIS3 to...
Rishi’s Road to Ruin
This Conservative Government seems determined to leave the country far worse than it found it and to tie the hands of the next Government as much as it can. This year we will, more than likely, have a general election and have our say at the ballot box. In the...
Statement on A66 Northern Trans Pennine Legal Challenge
Statement on A66 Northern Trans Pennine Legal Challenge Transport Action Network (TAN) has launched a legal challenge to the granting of a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the £1.5 billion A66 Northern Trans-Pennine road scheme. It believes that the Secretary of State's decision was flawed. Chris Todd, TAN’s founder and...
Labour’s rail reforms could get us back on track
Last week saw the Labour Party start to set out its stall for transport should it be elected as the next Government, when it published Get Britain Moving: Labour’s plan to fix Britain’s railways. This is quite a significant development as to date Labour has been very cautious about what...
Labour rail reforms could get us back on track
Labour rail reforms could get us back on track Transport Action Network (TAN) is broadly welcoming Labour’s announcements yesterday about rail reform and better integration with other transport modes [1]. Chris Todd, director of Transport Action Network (TAN) said: “These proposed reforms are a major step in the right direction....
TAN Cymru Statement on 20MPH
In response to today’s Oral Statement by Ken Skates MS: the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport on his transport priorities including plans for 20mph, Rhian Nowell-Phillips, Welsh roads and climate campaigner, Transport Action Network Cymru said: “We welcome the clarification that the Welsh Government remains committed to its...
Road bulldozed through nationally important landscapes
Road bulldozed through nationally important landscapes Responding to the granting of the DCO planning approval [1] for the £1.5 billion A66 Northern Trans Pennine road scheme [2] Transport Action Network’s Director, Chris Todd, said: “The A66 mega-road scheme is the worst value for money scheme in the roads programme. It...
Why bus cuts hit women hardest
Women use buses more than men in most countries around the world. The journeys they make tend to be more complex too. Many are non-work related, and are often done with children or older people. Yet transport planning and infrastructure largely overlooks these needs. In the UK, women make 30%...
The Roadmap to Bus Reform in Wales
Roadmap to bus reform, could be just the ticket for Wales TAN Cymru has welcomed the launch of the Welsh Government's Roadmap to Bus Reform, "One Network, One Timetable, One Ticket”. [1] TAN Cymru spokesperson Rhian Nowell-Phillips, said: "This ambitious plan has the potential to revolutionise public transport in Wales....
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