Use existing infrastructure to improve network says group

03 September 2009

The Government should abandon expensive ‘white elephant’ transport projects in favour of value-for-money schemes on existing infrastructure, according to a leading think-tank.

Reform has called for a new transport policy to overcome a shortage in infrastructure capacity and a looming cut in the transport budget.

It says the short-term focus should be on sweating existing assets rather than grand projects, such as hard-shoulder running and improving facilities for walking and cycling, which could have a big impact at relatively low cost.

However, the current programme of expanding hard-shoulder running, while a low-cost solution, is limited, as motorways are only 2% of the total road network, Reform concludes. It dismisses the proposed high-speed rail line as a white elephant.

The report, Any time, and place, any way, calls for road charging in order to more accurately reflect the real environmental and economic cost of transport use.

Public support could be generated by abolishing fixed charges such as car tax, and ring-fencing revenue generated from the charges. It urges the Government to consider alternative financing tools such as tax increment financing, whereby house-builders who would benefit from a new transport link would contribute to the scheme’s funding.

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