Roads policy is 'ad-hoc short-term and dire'

22nd January 2004, Page 16

22nd January 2004

Page 16

Page 16, 22nd January 2004 — Roads policy is 'ad-hoc short-term and dire'

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THE RAC FOUNDATION has launched a withering attack on the government's failure to tackle what it calls "the dire and growing congestion on our roads".

In a new report the organisation condemns the current approach as "ad hoc and short-term".

It has produced a list of what it believes are the most urgent improvements.

These include widening five motorways, re-considering the rejection of the A27 improvements on the South Coast, and making a number of key improvements on the Al in the North-East. the AS in the West Midlands, the A47 in East Anglia and the A64 in Yorkshire.

The foundation has priced its plans at around £2bn a year over 10 years: it points out that this is less than 50% of one year's tax take from road users. It adds: "Road users currently pay $.44bn a year, of which less than fbbn is spent on roads."

• The Scottish Executive this week defended itself against accusations that a proposed publicprivate partnership to finance the M74 extension scheme in Glasgow would be a waste of money. A spokeswoman says reports that the PPP scheme would double the cost of the road were misplaced because PPP would involve the long-term maintenance of much longer stretches of motorway.

But she adds that no decision on how — or whether — the road would be funded will be made until after a public inquiry into the scheme is complete.