Alliance against road building

ROAD USER CHARGING MUST CUT TRAFFIC AND ROAD BUILDING

Road Block, the alliance against road building, today welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport's outline for a road user charging scheme, but said that it must be a tool to cut spiralling traffic increases and halt climate change, not simply a way to shift taxes around. Road Block also demanded that the government scrap its road building programme if it is to pursue road user charging as a way to decrease traffic.

Rebecca Lush of Road Block said,

"Protecting the environment should be at the heart of any discussion about road user charging. Simply debating where the taxes should go is just shifting chairs on the Titanic. This must be a tool to reduce traffic, tackle climate change and protect the environment. We could never build our way out of congestion, and the government should scrap its road building programme, and use road user charging to reduce traffic."

Contact Road Block on 01803 847649 or 07854 693067

Notes to Editors:

Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, today outlined government plans for road user charging at the Social Market Foundation.

Road Block is an alliance of community groups and individuals against road building. Road Block set up in response to a road building programme of over 200 planned or proposed schemes. See www.roadblock.org.uk

Last year the government launched a consultation into a 52 mile brand new tolled motorway - M6 Expressway - between Birmingham and Manchester that would devastate the Staffordshire and Cheshire countryside. This is despite the fact that traffic levels on the M6 have already exceeded previous levels since the M6 Toll road recently opened.

www.roadblock.org.uk - alliance against roadbuilding | email us