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...
Road to ruin for South East plan
Road to ruin as South East plan fuels climate change Transport Action Network (TAN) is strongly objecting [1] to Transport for the South East's draft Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) which is currently being consulted upon until 12 September [2]. The draft SIP outlines the transport spending priorities for the region...
Repairing our roads
Repairing our roads and public transport need to be Government priorities Transport Action Network (TAN) is calling on Liz Truss and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, her new Transport Secretary, to get the basics right [1] and repair our roads. These are crumbling after a decade of underinvestment [2] and this is a...
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...
Fast-track to climate catastrophe
Fast-track to climate catastrophe Transport Action Network (TAN) is deeply concerned at Government proposals announced yesterday to bulldoze through new road schemes in even shorter timescales with even less public scrutiny [1]. Delivering road projects faster is said to be "essential to support…net zero" and to "enhance and protect the environment"...
National Highways “fiddling at the edges” while the planet burns
National Highways "fiddling at the edges" while the planet burns As National Highways issued its Net Zero Highways Progress Report [1], Transport Action Network compared the carbon emissions they claim to have saved with the huge increases caused by its £24 billion roads programme, RIS2 [2]. The claimed savings are...
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...
Calls for clear vision on traffic reduction welcomed
Calls for clear vision on traffic reduction welcomed Transport Action Network broadly welcomed the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) 2022 Progress Report to Parliament published today [1], especially its recommendations on reducing traffic growth and considering alternatives to road building. The CCC, which has applauded the Government's ambition on climate change,...
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...
Lower Thames Crossing blasted by Council
LOWER THAMES CROSSING BLASTED BY THURROCK COUNCIL The £8.2 billion Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), billed as the "largest road scheme in a generation" has been blasted in a letter [1] to the Treasury by Cllr Gledhill, Leader of Thurrock Council [2]. The letter, published on the last day of the...
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...
JOIN OUR NETWORK
Signing up will allow you to access our monthly newsletter and the latest actions and events