Travel is good

Many people are rightly concerned about the daily impact of traffic on our cities, towns and villages.

At the same time, we are attached to the freedom afforded to us by our cars.

So it’s clear we need some ambitious responses to avoid a polluted, gridlocked future for our streets and to enjoy our travel, whether for business or pleasure.

Travel is something to be enjoyed – it enriches our lives. Any solutions to our transport needs must not be about gloomy restraint and diminishing choice. That would merely turn ordinary people away from serious consideration of the issues facing us.

Instead, we need imaginative, realistic responses, which was our aim in the CSS report ‘Travel is Good’. It envisages what travel will be like in 2030 and makes recommendations for ways of improving it.

Our report urges the government to stay the course on road pricing and congestion charging. There should also be investment in alternative travel choices before such schemes are implemented – and transparency over how the raised revenue is spent.

The effects of climate change must be addressed: different road surfaces to withstand higher temperatures; better drainage to handle wider-spread flooding. Public transport should be air conditioned, too.

Our report recommends changes to existing regulations for light rail systems to make their introduction in urban areas less expensive.

And greater investment in the production, storage and distribution of hydrogen fuel. Longer term, there is no realistic alternative to hydrogen. Biofuels are simply not viable on the scale required.

We face tough decisions, but we can’t afford to put them off. Whichever decisions we take, their success relies on sustained investment and cohesive leadership. And we will need to win the hearts and minds of people to change transport habits not through regulation but through social responsibility.

Further information

• CSS represents leading local authority strategists who are responsible for three-quarters of the road network in England and Wales, as well as other travel, environmental and energy issues. The full CSS ‘Travel is Good’ report can be downloaded at www.cssnet.org.uk