TransportGetting Britain Moving |
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Make the railways work againConservative privatisation left the railways in a mess, but Labour hasn’t solved the problems. Whilst delays have doubled, bureaucracy has increased fivefold, while services are being cut. Liberal Democrats will streamline the system, with fewer, larger franchises, given longer contracts in return for more investment and better services. We will use savings from the roads budget to prioritise safety at stations, and to restore the key rail upgrades postponed or cancelled under Labour. |
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Reward owners of less polluting cars with lower taxesFor many people, particularly in rural areas, cars are a necessity and cannot be replaced by public transport. But they can be far less damaging to the environment when they use less fuel or alternative fuels. We will start by reforming the Vehicle Excise Duty system (‘road tax’) to cut tax altogether on cars that pollute least, funded by increasing it on those that pollute more. Congestion charging in London (first proposed by the Liberal Democrats) has cut pollution, cut traffic jams and paid for new investment in buses. We will encourage more cities and towns where traffic congestion is a problem to extend congestion charging, linked to up-front investment in better public transport to give millions real alternatives to the car and to reduce the need to drive. In the longer term, as technology allows, we will scrap petrol duties and VED altogether, replacing the revenue with a national road user charging system based on location, congestion and pollution (including the level of pollution of the particular vehicle). As a result, pollution and congestion will be better targeted, with no need for the present system of heavy taxes on every journey. |
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Free off-peak local bus travel for all pensioners and disabled peopleLiberal Democrats were the first to make the case for giving all pensioners and disabled people free off-peak local bus travel, and have already done so in Scotland and Wales. We will implement this policy, and we will in addition provide all pensioners, disabled people, families and young people with their rail discount cards free. |
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Good transport in all forms is vital to a successful economy – yet governments, both Tory and Labour, have failed to deliver it. The Tories created the mess the country’s in, particularly with their privatisation of the railways. Labour promised to get Britain moving again, but have only made things worse. Promises to cut traffic have failed to materialise, and fewer trains arrive on time. |
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I live in one of the most rural constituencies in the country. Here the car is a necessity, not a luxury. But when I am in Westminster, public transport is a much more convenient way of getting about. It is blindingly obvious that the same solutions don’t apply in both areas. |
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So we need to be more creative. Our ideas for transport are all about responding to differing local needs, and helping people do the right things for the environment, rather than just taxing everyone more. We need to provide better public transport alternatives wherever possible, and we need a charging regime for car use – not ownership – which reflects both congestion and need. |
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Small local changes can make a big difference. Liberal Democrats are campaigning up and down the country to re-open railway stations and lines. Making stations safer won’t cost much, but it will mean that people feel more secure and will be more likely to travel by rail. |
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I can’t guarantee that every train will always run on time – but I can guarantee that a Liberal Democrat government will work to get Britain moving again. John Thurso - Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Transport |
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Like everyone else who drives a car, takes a train or uses the tube – as I do twice a day – I suffer week-in week-out the mess Conservative and Labour governments have made of public transport in this country. More and more traffic congestion destroys quality of life and wrecks the environment, whilst train services are ever more crowded and unreliable. Simply put, Liberal Democrats will help people get from A to B safely without undue delay, and without wrecking the environment Lynne Featherstone Chair of the Greater London Assembly Transport Committee |
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Green ActionGreen transport policies. All our transport policies are designed to encourage more environmental transport options, including cutting the cost of using more environmentally friendly vehicles, boosting public transport, discouraging heavily polluting vehicles and reforming aviation policies to cut emissions. |