Road schemes need private funding

1 Nov 07
There is a rich stream of 'untapped' funding from the private sector that could be used to improve Britain's transport infrastructure, ministers have said.

02 November 2007

There is a rich stream of 'untapped' funding from the private sector that could be used to improve Britain's transport infrastructure, ministers have said.

Pension funds and 'other institutional investors' are among the sources being touted for funding by the Department for Transport for proposed schemes. The plans, published in a DfT discussion paper this week, include road charging in urban areas.

The paper, Towards a sustainable transport system, argues: 'Making the taxpayer's pound go further will mean giving fresh impetus to… bringing in private sector funding.'

It says 'targeted increases in capacity' are needed rather than the ambitious road plans of the 1980s. Small, local schemes represent the best value for money, it says. Urban congestion charging is a priority but extending this to national networks 'is a decision for the future'.

Stephen Joseph, executive director of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'The time for words is past. These ideas must translate into real-world improvements, and right now it's not clear how they will.'

PFnov2007

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