Hey Alistair, we can help
Who'd be a finance minister? In a few weeks time the Chancellor will put the finishing touches to a budget that needs to reduce debt, grow our economy and pull the UK towards a sustainable future.
A tough ask at the best of times, but with a jittery public clamouring for a return to the golden era of excess and boundless credit that we knew just a few short years ago, the temptation to try and recreate business as usual is overwhelming.
The temptation, however, should be resisted. The reality is that economic growth and a sustainable future are not easily compatible. Reducing costs and sustainable travel, however, go hand-in-hand.
The end is nigh for the car scrappage scheme which was designed to boost economic growth by stimulating a faltering car industry. At a cost of £400 million, 355,000 new vans and cars are now gracing our roads. Many may be more efficient than the cars they replace, but factor in the energy used for manufacture and transport, and these newer cars will take many years to pay back the carbon they've generated.
By contrast for less cost the UK could have reduced the number of car journeys by up to 14%. Just by telling people how and where to walk, cycle or catch public transport we could have less congestion, less pollution, more active people, fuller buses and trains, and a reduction in UK carbon emissions by 1 million tonnes.
A recent analysis of transport revealed the cost of "transport harm" in English towns and cities was between £38 and £49 billion annually. This is the combined cost of congestion, accidents, poor air quality, physical inactivity, greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution and the low enjoyment by people of the space around them.
So, for less money we could change travel behaviour and enable finance ministers to save money on health and carbon, whilst also taking us much more quickly to the sustainable and prosperous world we need to achieve.
That's why Sustrans would love to see the Chancellor grasp the opportunity and use this budget to reform taxation and increase spending on sustainable travel and:
- Invest only in schemes and initiatives that reduce high carbon travel.
- Re-establish a fuel duty escalator UK-wide to reverse the current decline in the cost of motoring.
- Introduce work and retail place parking levies with revenues invested in improving environments for walking, cycling and public transport.
- Establish UK-wide road pricing programmes with revenues invested in improving environments for walking, cycling and public transport.