04 April 2003
The government's transport policy is destined for failure unless it sets out its intentions on road pricing and presents a credible plan for cutting pollution and congestion, a committee of MPs has warned.
In a report this week, the Commons' transport select committee gave a damning verdict on the government's multi-modal studies – 22 investigations into congestion hotspots – which at a cost of £32m is the largest-ever investment in integrated transport planning in the UK.
Despite the studies, the majority of which are now complete, the committee accuses the government of dithering over road-user charging. 'The secretary of state told us that road charging "is something we need to consider". But that is more or less the same words that many secretaries of state have said since the 1960s,' the report says.
The MPs said the government had a stark choice: change the way passengers pay for travel by introducing road charging or accept that congestion will rise and persuade the public to accept it. 'The government needs to lead this debate rather then listen to it.'
The committee, while welcoming the investment in the studies, was highly critical of their value for money and overall usefulness. The MPs said they had been undermined by 'ill-thought-out government guidance'. They were told not to consider funding constraints, which made several of their final recommendations unaffordable.
The studies are expected to be completed £8.2m over budget, while several were behind schedule. The committee said the Department for Transport continued to spend large sums on consultancy services when 'the quality of the advice doesn't always justify the cost'.
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