After examining the entrails of each Party manifesto, GreenFleet finds little to get excited about in the upcoming general election regarding transport
As the 7 May general election draws near, one could perhaps suggest that road transport has played a smaller role than usual in each parties’ election manifesto.
At the time of going to press, the polls suggest that we may well be heading for some sort of coalition (again) meaning no party will gain an outright majority.
Sadly, no party apart from the Greens has any clear, specific policy (aside from ‘consultations’) on further efforts to reduce CO2, and perhaps more importantly, NOx and particulates from diesel engines, which is becoming a real problem as recent estimates suggest that air pollution causes as many as 29,000 deaths each year, putting it on a par with smoking.
In any case, a recent poll conducted amongst the readers of Auto Express revealed that of most relevance to its readership of UK drivers were fuel costs and speed limits, which, according to the poll, drivers want to see lowered and raised respectively.
Conservative
Road infrastructure announcements tend to be a mainstay of the Conservative Agenda, and the Tory manifesto goes into fairly precise detail about which parts of the road network require attention. They promise to add 1,300 extra lane miles to UK roads, improve over 60 problem junctions and continue to fund the fixing of around 18 million potholes nationwide between 2015 and 2021.
The Conservatives point out that in the coalition, they have resisted the urge to go ahead with planned fuel duty increases, which, according to their figures, has saved as much as £7 for each driver on a tank of fuel.
According to the Tory manifesto, rebalancing the economy involves creating a ‘Northern Powerhouse’, and it plans to invest £13bn in modern transport links such as a ‘Northern Hub’ and upgrades to the A1, M62, M1 and A555 link roads. In the South West, the M5, A358, A30 and A303 are also slated for investment, with the M1 and M6 motorways included in a £5.2bn of planned spending for the Midlands.
The document also mentions the party’s aim to have almost every car and van as a zero-emission vehicle by 2050, and sets aside £500m over the next five years to encourage the shift by (presumably, as detail is lacking) continuing to incentivise ultra low carbon vehicle purchase and install more fast charging infrastructure.
Over the last five years rail fares have climbed the political agenda. Season ticket prices on some lines have increased by more than 20 per cent (for instance, Newcastle to Middlesbrough services have risen from £1,841 a year to £2,324 - a 26 per cent hike). Should they win, the Conservatives plan to freeze rail fares (in real terms) until 2020, which it claims would save commuters an average of £400. Unsurprisingly, shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher wasn’t impressed: “Labour wants to see big changes on rail - action on fares, but also an end to the failed franchises, a public sector operator and for the first time a passenger voice to stop the rip-off railways that have defined David Cameron’s government.”
Labour
As the main opposition party, Labour pledges to support long‑term investment in strategic roads and address what it sees as the neglect of local infrastructure. Its manifesto mentions a plan to end the deregulation of local bus services, handing city and county regions London-style powers to regulate their own. This would form part of an English Devolution Act, handing £30bn of resources and powers over skills, transport, economic development to city and county regions. Labour also plans a National Rail Body, and will legislate so that a public sector operator could take on lines and challenge private companies.
Labour’s election manifesto does state: “Motorists have seen the quality of our roads deteriorate with rising congestion and promised road improvements not being delivered.” However, the word ‘road’ is only used twice throughout the document, and there is no detail on how Labour would tackle congestion, combat air pollution from transport or help transport-related businesses.
Labour would support the construction of HS2, but aims to keep costs down. Rail fares would be frozen from next year.
Lib Dems
Despite the Liberal Democrat manifesto being the longest document of the five examined, it is (perhaps with the exception of Labour) the lightest on detail. It’s full steam ahead for HS2 should the Liberal Democrats gain (or, presumably, share) power, and the Lib Dems state their intention to help incentivise sustainable behaviour by increasing the proportion of tax revenue accounted for by green taxes. Research, development and commercialisation will support four key low-carbon technologies: tidal power, carbon capture and storage, energy storage and, lastly, ultra-low emission vehicles.
In September 2014, the Lib Dems proposed the Green Transport Bill, but it is unclear from its manifesto whether the party will push for this should it gain (or share) power, but plans the introduction of a Green Transport Act, including a National Plan (sadly lacking in detail) to dramatically improve Britain’s air quality by 2020. Other key green transport measures include establishing a full network of charging points for electric cars, only allowing low emission vehicles on the roads from 2040 (ten years earlier than the Tory plan) and reforming planning law to ensure new developments are designed around walking, cycling and public transport. The Lib Dems will also encourage local authorities to consider trams, and support light rail and ultra-light rail schemes where appropriate.
UKIP
UKIP will repeal the Climate Change Act 2008, which, it points out, costs the economy £18bn a year, along with abolishing green taxes and charges in order to reduce fuel bills. The Party sees HS2 as a ‘flawed vanity scheme’ and plans to scrap it.
As the withdrawal from the European Union appears to be the catalyst for many of UKIP’s other ideas, the party originally planned to introduce legislation which would require foreign vehicles to purchase and display a ‘Britdisc’ before entry to the UK, in order to contribute to the upkeep of UK roads and any lost fuel duty.
This idea has been replaced by comment on the HGV Road User Levy, which would no longer apply after leaving the EU. The party would therefore adjust Vehicle Excise Duty by the equivalent amount to make the change ‘revenue neutral’ for UK hauliers. The current levy tariff would then be ‘doubled’ and only apply to foreign registered HGVs. UKIP claims this change will help UK hauliers compete with others in Europe.
UKIP will end HS2. Jill Seymour, UKIP Transport spokesperson, has gone on record saying she opposes road charges, and so the manifesto includes a pledge to remove road tolls where possible.
Interestingly, UKIP is fully opposed to ‘eCall’, the GPS system due to be introduced on all new vehicles from October this year. UKIP would scrap mandatory installation of eCall, and allow owners who already have it installed to disable it. Should UKIP win, it also harbours plans to scrap the requirement to complete the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, which it believes to be responsible for ‘causing job losses’.
UKIP also pledges to abolish car parking charges in hospitals (how exactly this will be done is unclear). Classic car owners will be drawn to a curious transport related footnote to UKIP’s manifesto – it plans to exempt vehicles over 25 years old from Vehicle Excise Duty.
The Greens
Radical certainly isn’t a word that can be used to describe any of the main parties’ attention to transport detail, and the Green Party manifesto certainly isn’t short on ideas. However, with little evidence to suggest how some of its more left wing policies would work in the real world, most are perhaps too much to absorb and would prove to be incredibly difficult to deliver should the green party win any kind of power, which is unlikely.
Heavily weighted in favour of public transport, the Green plan majors on ‘encouraging’ people to use public transport by making it cheaper and more accessible.
The Greens would end the national roads programme, which it claims would save £15bn over the next parliament, and invest this in public transport.
Although sketchy and without budget, the Green plan does include some specifics about Ultra Low Carbon vehicle use, sadly missing for other manifestos. It plans to invest in EV charging points for buses and taxis in particular, and incentivise the consolidation of white van deliveries to enable the ‘last mile’ journeys to be made by cargo bikes and EVs in local areas. Road safety also comes high on the Green Agenda, with speed limit reductions, greater duty of care for drivers and a reduction in the alcohol limit. Newly manufactured lorries would be required to install the latest safety technology, and those without would not be allowed to venture into towns and cities where pedestrians and cyclist numbers are greater.
The Greens plan to begin consultation with a view to develop a framework for the “progressive elimination of diesel exhaust emissions”. More road pricing schemes, such as the London Congestion charge, are also on the Green menu. Ultra Low Emission Zones would be introduced in order to make sure air pollution reduces in line with EU limits.
Scotland
Despite protestations to the contrary, a coalition between Labour and the ‘anti‑austerity’ Scottish National Party is a real possibility. The SNP’s manifesto points at infrastructure investment, with a particular aim to improve transport and communication links across the North of Scotland. The SNP sees connecting Scotland to HS2 as a priority, with construction beginning in Scotland (as well as England) and a high speed connection between Glasgow, Edinburgh and the North of England as part of any high-speed rail network.