PRESS RELEASE

New south east transport strategy a masterclass in greenwashing

Transport Action Network (TAN) [1] has branded Transport for the South East’s (TfSE) draft transport strategy [2] as a “masterclass in greenwashing” [3]. The consultation on the strategy ended on Friday. While welcoming some aspects of the strategy, TAN felt it still prioritised road building over more inclusive public transport or active travel solutions.

The strategy has five missions that drive it, but TAN argues the strategy values some missions more than others. The decarbonisation mission should see high carbon schemes such as the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) removed [4]. Yet despite the LTC also failing on the inclusivity and integration mission [5], it is firmly embedded in the strategy. Equally, resilience seems to be a vehicle for wholesale road expansions, rather than tackling climate resilience from a network perspective.

TAN believes that the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal is partly to blame as it fails to properly assess the true impacts of interventions, especially road schemes.

Chris Todd, director of Transport Action Network said:

“It’s not good enough for the strategy to talk the talk, it has to walk the walk. Otherwise it’s just greenwashing. The strategy has sound goals and principles but these seem to be lost in the rush to promote bigger roads. While the strategy’s five missions seem to operate in isolation.

“The strategy says many good things, but fails to understand the importance of active travel in helping people switch to public transport for longer journeys. It also has a blind spot for damaging road schemes like the Lower Thames Crossing and A27 expansions. For a strategy focussed on inclusion, decarbonisation, the economy and protecting and enhancing the environment, these schemes will cause innumerable harms.

“We’re calling for Welsh style transport commissions to be appointed to look at alternatives to these damaging roads. There needs to be a focus on cheaper, more effective, more inclusive solutions. These are perfectly possible as we have demonstrated with our recent Essex-Kent Superlinks report [6].

“People wonder why the A27 is congested when there have been no significant improvements to the parallel railway over the past 35 years. People are not being given real choices.”

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors:

[1] TAN was set up five years’ ago by director, Chris Todd to help communities press for better (more sustainable) transport. We support more investment in bus and rail services and active travel. To enable this and better roads maintenance (fewer potholes) we continue to oppose the previous government’s damaging roads programme. We also support better integration between transport and planning.

[2] TfSE’s draft transport strategy was consulted on from 10 December, 2024 – 7 March 2025. More information, including the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal can be found here.

[3] TAN submitted its consultation response on Friday.

[4] The Lower Thames Crossing is predicted to lead to an extra 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime as well as undermining rail freight.

[5] Nearly a quarter of million households without access to a car in Essex and Kent would not benefit from the LTC. It does not help them become more economically active or access services. [6] TAN recently published its report, Essex-Kent Superlinks, highlighting how a heavy rail link at Dartford could attract 50 – 100 million passenger journeys annually. This combined with other measures to move more freight by rail, could see 550,000 – 1,100,000 HGVs remove off out roads every year. It would cost one quarter the price of the LTC and lead to safer roads, relieving pressure on the NHS.