10:31 am, April 7, 2010
IT’S official, the election has been called. This means the three main parties will be rolling out new policies to tempt in voters, and we can expect all kinds of fantastic promises about a new, brighter future.
But what does that mean for motoring? Well, each of the parties mentions cutting emissions in their transport policies.
Labour are aiming at cutting CO2 emissions to 95g/km for all new cars by 2020, and have established a £400m fund to encourage the mass market in electric and hybrid vehicles.
The Conservatives hope to introduce a national network of recharging stations for EVs nationwide and the Lib Dems hope to reduce emissions by getting people out of cars and into public transport.
They also have plans to reopen many of the railway branch lines closed in the 60s. Public transport improvements are a priority for all of the major parties, with high-speed rail improvements on everyone’s to-do list, as well as cheaper buses.
Labour has already pledged £100m to repair the road network, but it’s unlikely to stretch very far given state they’re in currently. The Conservatives plan on making trucks from overseas contribute to the upkeep of the road network.
They also plan to build new roads to ease congestion, and to hold construction companies accountable for the delays they cause. They also plan to cut down the numbers of ‘cowboy clampers’ in towns and cities. The Liberal Democrats haven’t listed any improvements to the road network in their policy brief.
EARLY DAYS
It’s still early days, so it’s not clear who the best bet for motorists is, and there’s the whole spectrum of other issues that affect us from day to day besides motoring to take into account when we mark our ballot papers.
But there are some extra policies from ‘alternative’ parties to sway your vote. Policy number 52 on the Monster Raving Loony party manifesto is the introduction bus stops next to canals and lakes, to provide anglers with homeward transport.
They also plan to send traffic wardens to Iraq, so they can put parking tickets on Jeeps and tanks, to raise much needed revenue for infrastructure. They also want to ban traffic wardens from saying ‘Hello Wing Commander, having trouble taking off.’
I know where my vote is going…
JOHN SLAVIN
