ABD Welcomes Doubling Of Transport Budget But Urges Wise Spending

Alistair Darling's announcement today of a doubling of the transport budget will be welcome news to British drivers who, instead of around one sixth of their £46 billion taxes per year going on transport will see closer to one third being reinvested. Darling also announced widening of motorways in his speech, regrettably it won't be until 2010 by which time of course the already promised yearly increases in fuel duty will be taking its toll.

However, the ABD urges caution that this extra money must not be wasted. ABD chairman Brian Gregory explains:
"Too often we have seen what limited transport money there has been frittered away on consultations and restrictive schemes such as traffic calming etc. The government's controversial proposed road pricing scheme could easily soak up a huge proportion of the money alone. Britain's drivers must put pressure on the government to ensure that towns and villages crying out for bypasses get them built and that the motorway network is completed."

ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries said: "Transport and in particular our crumbling road network have for too long been treated as the 'Cinderella' of public services, yet a good road network is crucial to our economy and congestion affects almost everybody, directly or indirectly, every day of their lives".