Conservative Party proposals for ‘cheap, short-term fixes’ to ease traffic congestion have been given short shrift by transport groups, as well as political opponents.
Allowing drivers to turn left at red lights and moving cycle lanes on to footways are recommended in a 10-point plan by a policy group on economic competitiveness, chaired by former minister John Redwood. It also backed re-phasing traffic lights to abolish all-red sequences, removing ‘dangerous chicanes’, and allowing taxis, motorbikes and electric vehicles to use bus lanes, which should operate only in peak hours.
The group also called for widening, flyovers or tunnels at busy city junctions, and more footbridges and underpasses for pedestrians. Large roundabouts could also be reduced to create two lanes. Meanwhile, outside schools, 20mph limits should only apply when children are entering or leaving school. Living Streets said the plan was ‘astonishing’.
‘The think-tanks are supposed to be moving Conservative Party policy forward. Instead John Redwood is going backwards,’ said spokeswoman Hester Brown. Local authorities were closing subways because they encouraged crime and deterred the disabled. The proposals would add to road danger and car dependency, which was bad for local economies, she added.
The proposals were ‘based on the ideas of 20 years ago’ and ‘detrimental to cyclists and pedestrians,’ said John Smart, technical affairs director of the Institution of Highways & Transportation. Some US cities were reviewing the left-turn on red rule because of the risk it presents to pedestrians.Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael MP said: ‘If the Tories are serious about tackling congestion they should embrace road-user pricing schemes, not recycling failed gimmicks.’ Although the AA Motoring Trust supports a trial of US-style red light ‘stop signs’, it warned of confusion among road-users and pedestrian dangers. ‘The more you think about it, the more you see why the present situation exists.’
Andrew Evans, professor of transport risk management at Imperial College, told the BBC the plan ‘would make the environment for pedestrians a lot less friendly than it is now, and that’s not what we wish to encourage’.
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