a new airport for London

The whole debate about the question of a new airport for London (or extension of the present airports) is ridden with prejudice, misinformation and self-interest. It should, therefore, be valued with those thoughts in mind.

The coalition government´s decision to prohibit any extension of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted was a preelectoral sop to voters to ensure their parties´ election - take note that no mention was made of Luton where there are Labour held seats.

The expansion of Southend, Lydd and Manston airports together with "London" Oxford smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order. Airports are not just runways and terminals. They are ancillary services, connexions, public transport, taxis, cars, lorries, noise and air pollution. By expanding these airports are you trying to alleviate the problems at other established airports? - I doubt it, you are just creating more problems than ones you are supposedly resolving..

The established airports have the infrastructure in place. London is privileged to have four major airports (plus London City) to serve its and the nation´s needs. The problem is and has been the lack of political will to solve the problems of lack of capacity in the South East. In comparison Frankfurt has one airport, Paris has two while New York has three.

Heathrow has grown to full capacity because everyone wants to connect through there - to the detriment of the UK traveller who sees his connexions reduced. Therefore, the need for a third runway is obvious, not for long distance traffic but to ensure connexions with the rest of the British Isles and near Europe(the Benelux countries and Paris). Any limitations on such extra traffic should be based on noise and engine pollution.

Gatwick´s new owners say they do not want to expand to a second usable runway. They cannot anyway , until 2019, at least. What they really want is to get everything up and running well  before that date so they can present a good convincing business case when the time comes and then show what a mess everything is elsewhere so their case for extension is incontestable(which airport owner would deny the opportunity to expand?).

Stansted was pushed as London´s second airport in the early 1970s (and rejected). It has grown by stealth since then. The traffic levels subsequently achieved were probably not even imagined then. Even though there is now a dip in passenger numbers, growth will continue in the mid to long term. Here the basic infrastructure is in place and any improvements would have to be made anyway (especially in the rail corridor).

Luton is the one airport not mentioned but in the best position. Forget that the majority of its traffic is devoted to charter and holiday flights (was that not the case for many years at Gatwick?). Luton has excellent connexions on the Midland Main Line(MML) to East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Leeds - which could be improved through electification and even to Manchester. When the Thameslink project is eventually finished then 24 trains per hour will provide direct service to South of the Thames and the South coast.

The solution is therefore, based on demand. Heathrow must expand to three runways with the view that that is the limit. Then another airport must be named as its major compliment. By the type of present traffic Gatwick would be the ideal place to lay a second runway. However, the affluent residents of that near area would not be too keen and so would probably ensure it is not built.

Stansted was proposed as the second airport and has been trying to achieve that objective. However, it is in an area where it is out on a limb which would need tremendous investment to make it an attractive proposition. The Crossrail project could give it good connexions to Central London, the M4 corridor and Heathrow if such were the desire. On the other hand, like Gatwick the affluent nimbys would probably put a stop to it.

What is left is Luton. This is well connected to both Gatwick and East Midland airports. Customers from south of the Thames will be able to  reach it as well as those from north of London who could do so without entering the capital. As said before it is on the MML giving it excellent connexions northwards meaning passengers would not have to put pressure on London´s transport system.

(c) The Times

Thus our conclusion is that Luton should be focused on as the next major London airport.(this was explained in our blog of 5 July 2010 - Luton, the Next Best Bet?) A second runway should be laid down and land reserved for a possible third and even fourth runway. If not then all the airports should be permitted to expand to at least two runways. The cost should be born by the owners of the airports. If there were free choice in the matter of expansion then market forces would come into play to ensure that the costs to the users do not become prohibitive. The cost to the government would be the necessary upgrading of the infrastructure to the airports (this has to be done anyway so is not extra).

The onus must be on public transport and connectivity. Where public transport exists it should be bettered, making it more attractive to use and encouraging the public to leave the car at home. The connexions to London, other cities and other airports have to be a priority to increase the attractiveness of public transport thus reducing traffic and subsequently pollution. Until the love affair with the car is broken then the problems of traffic volume, air pollution and noise will not be reduced.  

Luton - The Next Best Bet ?

The new coalition government has stated that it is not going to permit the building of a third runway at Heathrow airport nor second runways at Gatwick and Stansted airports.This is despite the fact that as long ago as 2003 it was recognised in the report "The Future of Air Transport " (16-12-03) that "two new runways will be needed in the South East over the next three decades." The government, however, is offering us none, or is it?

A brief comment should be made on why the announcement was made and in the terms used. The 2010 election was the one to be won at all costs by the Conservative Party. They had been out of power for 13 years and were desperate to regain it. The decision had already been made to cancel the third runway at Heathrow just because Labour supported it and it was a vote winner. The LibDem. attitude only reinforced the argument and so the coalition did not think twice about it - at least for the next 5 years(!!). Gatwick and Stansted were added to the list to satisfy the LibDems. though the decision certainly benefited the Tories since the two airports are in highly affluent True Blue country. Cost was not a reason at all because the runways would be privately financed. Noise and exhaust pollution were pushed as reasons but those are smoke screens. Reality would be different with stricter regulation and newer engine efficient aircraft being imposed as the only operable vehicles. The nimbys have won the day without even starting the battle - for a comparison the reactions started over HSR2 have been in True Blue Chiltern country. Thus go back to basics and fight one battle at a time.

What should be noted is what was left out of the statement. Luton airport is without doubt a London airport but it lies in the only Labour strongholds in the region. Thus this is the door left ajar for future use. It is also a potential vote provider, since (to quote the report again),  

"Luton/Dunstable is identified in Regional Planning Guidance as a Priority Area for Economic Regeneration and, along with Bedford, is designated as a Growth Area in the Communities Plan. The continued expansion of Luton Airport has the potential to play a key role in delivering employment-led growth in this area."  What better for the government than to show it is creating employment. Thus we come to the conclusion that Luton airport is going to be the solution of the runway needs for South East England.

However, political considerations are not the only factors. Even though  the report indicates that Luton was the last and least likely option for expansion, in the new circumstances other reasons come into play which make Luton much more attractive as an airport for expansion than any of the others.

1)- As we have already indicated Luton is an area ripe for development, especially since the decline of the auto industry. 

2)-There is an already electrified line from Bedford through Luton Parkway into central London and south to Brighton offering excellent connections both north and south of the Thames for a large number of potential clients.

3)-First Captial Connect trains run from Bedford through Luton to St.Pancras(for the services to Paris and Brussels) and south to Gatwick airport and Brighton.

4)-East Midland trains run services from St. Pancras through Luton to Leicester, East Midlands airport, Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and onwards to Leeds.
5)-Road access to the M1 is literally "on the doorstep".
6)-Road access to the A1(M)would need the construction of a new road link to Stevenage.(about 11kms. away in a direct line).

The connections are, therefore, much better than any other London airport - to both Gatwick and East Midlands. The access to the airport is good or very good for a large proportion of the Midland and Yorkshire population without having to pass through Central London.

As can be seen from the Google map the runway alinement is WSW-ENE. In the airport´s plans, as published in the said report in 2003, the idea was to either extend the present runway or move it a little southwards and use the present one as a taxiway.Thus increasing the capacity for take-offs and landings. 


The development plans published on the airport´s website at present indicate a date of September 2001 which co-incides with the government´s original plans in 2003 to give the airport a minor role in London´s air traffic. However, it should be said that these plans replaced a much more ambitious plan to develop the airport with two runways (Published in October 2005 and withdrawn in July 2007).


However, if the only alternative for the increase in demand in air in South East England is to develop Luton then the old plans should be dusted off and looked at again. The effects of such a change in policy would go into other areas.

If this option is taken up then the electification of the Midland Main Rail Line(MML) to Leeds is more than likely while being less costly than HSR2 to Birmingham from London. We suggested in our blog Fast Track 3 (points 4 & 5) (28-02-10) 

that with new improved lines from East Midlands airport to Derby-Stoke-Manchester, and to Nottingham-Sheffield-Leeds the service to the Midland cities and those on both sides of the Pennines could provide an excellent frequent and competitive (alternative) service to London and much more accessible to a major airport which Luton could become (and all without threatening to throttle London). 

Part of the problems of the WCML and ECML are the bottlenecks where the lines are not four-tracked(at least) and the lines become clogged with mixtures of long distance, regional and local passenger traffic with freight all vying for access. With an electrified MML, as we indicate in the aforementioned Fast Track 3,  upgrading the MML and being able to put on fast trains to Derby, Stoke and Manchester on one hand , while to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds on the other, would aleviate capacity on both the WCML and ECML, provide competition and give direct acces to potential clients in the East Midlands, the North West and South and West Yorkshire to Luton airport - all at a lower cost and greater benefit for a greater number than the proposed HSR2 (which will not go anywhere near an airport except Birmingham International). 

Is it not time to think of these alternatives and put them into practice?

We must finish by saying, as we did in Runways in South East England (24-3-10), that we support all the main four London´s airports wishes to increase runway capacity - including a third runway for Heathrow - as we argue in that blog. And we are not alone.

New Government - What it offers transport

After the British election a new coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrtas has been decided upon.

With regard to transport and infrastructure what most interests us is laid out in the agreement document which appears on the websites of both political parties and states:

Tax Measures:The parties agree that a switch should be made to a per-plane, rather than per-passenger duty; a proportion of any increased revenues over time will be used to help fund increases in the personal allowance.

Environment:
The establishment of a high-speed rail network.
The cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow.
The refusal of additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
The replacement of the Air Passenger Duty with a per flight duty.


These are not many words to express transport policy for the next (fixed?) five years of coalition government. Let us look at them anyway.

The first and last points are the same referring to the Air Passenger Duty(APD). This is a long demanded and logical reform. Planes produce the pollution not persons. If the aim is to tax pollution then it is quite logical to tax a half empty plane as much as a full one. In fact the next logical step would be to apply such a tax to cover a mixture of fuel consumption, engine efficiency, gas pollutants and noise footprint.
If that were the case then (a) airlines would be pushed into acquiring more efficient and less polluting planes - accelerating their fleet renewal plans (b)it could be carried over to the rest of Europe so that it would not result in being a discriminatory tax only applied in Britain - here Britain would occupy the moral (environmental) high ground and find tremendous support in many countries(principally Northern Europe).
However, beware. The Treasury does not give up any tax hikes easily. This modification of APD will not mean a big reduction for passengers. There might well be a nominal one - to satisfy public opinion and ensure votes - but the overall tax income wiil be higher than before - with the excuse that the deficit has to be covered.

The stopper put on any runway expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is a logical step for the Conservatives and the LibDems. In our opinion it is quite erroneous. Instead of building an airport in the Thames estuary, the best of the present infrastucture should be taken advantage of. Instead of building macro airports like Schipol or CDG, London should realise it has a marvellous patrimony of airport infrastructure with five airports serving both the country nationally and the South East regionally. Take note that H,G & S were mentioned by name but Luton was not. 
Is that the get out option? In fact Luton is the best option for development. It lies next to the Midland Main Line with services direct into St.Pancras (with the HSR1 and Kings Cross connections) and is also served by Thameslink (for Gatwick and the south coast). While for any body who lives north of Watford it is(and will be) a much more convenient and better connected airport on the updated and electrified MML than any of the other three (H, G & S).

The establishment of a high speed rail network has to be looked at again. Obviously, the present proposal(HSR2) through the Chilterns will prove too difficult for the Conservatives to accept(it runs through too many Conservative constituencies). Expect a new line to proposed which follows the M40 more closely and so is not so straight (therefore, not so fast - which after all will mean less energy consumption).
On this blog we have made several proposals for a HSR strategy. Let us hope that a logical, affordable, accessable high speed rail strategy is drawn up by this new government. The Birmingham connection will most probably the first line to be laid but what will happen after that? Take note that the important decisions (concerning money) will not be applicable until 2017 which will be the next parliament after this (fixed?) term of five years. So the financing problems will be for a new government not the present coalition.

The date 2017 was used because Labour envisaged starting the high speed rail line to Birmingham after Crossrail will have been finished. The construction can start with new finance and the present engineers and operatives will be freed up from Crossrail and available for new projects. However, Crossrail was one of the projects to be "looked at" in the spending review and so was not certain to continue. The majority opinion we read is that the project is too far advanced to be cancelled. Also the UK government does not finance it all, with businesses paying special taxes for it and local authories putting up some of the money. We reckon that, at worst, some parts of the project might well be delayed.  

The Crossrail project was conspicuously absent from the coalition agreement which could well bode well for the project. However, there are other approved projects which have not been mentioned either. Will they be under review, with the possibility of getting the chop? 

The most important is the GWML electrification to Bristol and South Wales. This line from (Heathrow) Airport Junction to Maidenhead is to be electrified as part of the Crossrail project so that should go ahead. There were talks of extending Crossrail to Reading which is logical and not a difficult proposition. Extending the electrification westwards from there is relatively easy since the original GWML built by Brunel was constructed at a high standard. No great modifications are needed to make this line a semi-highspeed one. It would be well worth the investment and not relatively expensive.

The other important investment is the Liverpool - Earlestown - Manchester electification for only(!!) GBP100 million. This is hardly a candidate for the chop when it is so necessary. Also there are the infill electrification projects: L/P - St.Helens - Wigan NW; M/C - Bolton - Preston; Preston - Blackpool North; Crewe - Chester. All these are necessary and overdue to make operations on the lines easier and faster(only using electric traction) and greener (no diesels). Beware, however, most of the projects run through Labour held constituencies so anything could happen. We now have to see how things develop.

Manifestos on Transport - what is on offer after 6th May 2010

With the election just a short time away you have here the policies of the most important political parties, concerning transport, as stated in their manifestos without any "filtering" by the media. You read them and you make the choice.

Labour: Rebuilding our transport infrastructure

Britain needs to invest in modern, high-capacity and lowcarbon transport infrastructure. At the heart of our growth plan is the commitment to a new high-speed rail line, linking North and South. Built in stages, the initial line will link London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, and then to the North and Scotland.
By running through-trains from day one, cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Liverpool will also be part of the initial network. Journey times will be slashed – those from the West Midlands to London will be as little as 31 minutes. We will consult fully on legislation to take forward our high-speed rail plans within the next Parliament.
High-speed rail is not just about faster journey times. It will free up capacity on existing intercity rail lines, enabling more rail freight, commuter and local services. We will press ahead with a major investment programme in existing rail services, hugely improving commuter services into and through London, and electrifying new rail-lines including the Great Western Main Line from London to South Wales. We will complete the new east-west Crossrail line in London adding ten per cent to London transport capacity.
Rail passenger numbers have increased by 40 per cent in the last ten years and
punctuality and quality of service are improving steadily.
We will encourage more people to switch to rail with an enforceable right to the
cheapest fare, while trebling the number of secure cyclestorage spaces at rail stations.
We will welcome rail franchise bids from not-for-profit, mutual or co-operative franchise enterprises and will look to remove unfair barriers that prevent such bids benefiting passengers and taxpayers.

Tackling road congestion is a key Labour priority. We will extend hard-shoulder running on motorways, alongside targeted motorway widening including on the M25. Too much disruption is caused by local road works: we will increase tenfold the penalties on utilities who allow work to overrun. We rule out the introduction of national roadpricing in the next Parliament.

Heathrow is Britain’s international hub airport, already operating at full capacity, and supporting millions of jobs, businesses and citizens who depend upon it.
We support a third runway at Heathrow, subject to strict conditions on environmental impact and flight numbers, but we will not allow additional
runways to proceed at any other airport in the next Parliament.

Through our investment, Labour has put Britain at the forefront of electric and lowcarbon vehicle manufacturing. To promote the rapid take-up of electric and low-carbon cars, we will ensure there are 100,000 electric vehicle charging points by the end of the next Parliament.

Conservatives: Create a modern transport network

A rebalanced economy requires an extensive and reliable infrastructure. But transport has been a low priority for Labour, and the hassle of getting around is bad for business, bad for families and bad for everyone’s quality of life.
A Conservative government will begin work immediately to create a high speed rail line connecting London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. This is the first step towards achieving our vision of creating a national high speed rail network to join up major cities across England, Scotland and Wales. Stage two will deliver two new lines bringing the North East, Scotland and Wales into the high speed rail network.

Because travel abroad is so important for our economy and for family holidays, we need to improve our airports and reduce the environmental impact of flying. Our goal is to make Heathrow airport better, not bigger. We will stop the third runway and instead link Heathrow directly to our high speed rail network, providing an alternative to thousands of flights.
In addition, we will:
• block plans for second runways at Stansted and Gatwick; and,
• reform Air Passenger Duty to encourage a switch to fuller and cleaner planes.

To improve life for commuters and encourage people to switch to lower carbon public transport, we will reform our railways to provide a better focus on tackling problems that matter most to passengers, such as overcrowding. We will grant longer, more flexible rail franchises to incentivise private sector investment in improvements like longer trains and better stations. We support Crossrail and the electrification of the Great Western line to South Wales. We will turn the rail regulator into a powerful passenger champion and reform Network Rail to make it more accountable to its customers. And we will introduce a moratorium on building on disused rail lines still in public ownership, so they are available to be re-opened.

Britain has the chance to lead the world in making our transport system greener. So we will introduce incentives for electricity network operators to establish a new national car recharging network, making it much easier for drivers to move to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. We will support sustainable travel initiatives that work best for local communities by:
• giving the concerns of cyclists much greater priority;
• encouraging partnerships between bus operators and local authorities; and,
• helping people cut down on work-related travel.
We will stop central government funding for new fixed speed cameras, and switch to more effective ways to make our roads safer, including authorising ‘drugalyser’ technology for use in testing for drug-driving. We will make companies that dig up our roads accountable for the congestion they cause and crack down on rogue clampers. Councils will get more powers to get traffic flowing more
smoothly.
We will consult on the introduction of a ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’. This would cut fuel duty when oil prices rise, and vice versa. It would ensure families, businesses and the whole British economy are less exposed to volatile oil markets, and that there is a more stable environment for low carbon investment.

Liberal Democrats: public transport you can rely on

Britain needs a well-run, efficient transport system. Public transport is an
important part of a fair society and the best way to cut carbon emissions from transport without trying to limit people’s opportunities to travel. We want to improve the experience for the traveller and cut carbon emissions.
We will:
• Switch traffic from road to rail by investing in local rail improvements, such as opening closed rail lines and adding extra tracks, paid for by cutting the major roads budget.
• Cut rail fares, changing the contracts with Train Operating Companies so that regulated fares fall behind inflation by 1 per cent each year, meaning a real-terms cut.
• Make Network Rail refund a third of your ticket price if you have to take a rail replacement bus service.
• Overhaul Network Rail to put the interests of passengers first and bring it under the Freedom of Information Act to make it more open.
• Set up a UK Infrastructure Bank to invest in public transport like high speed rail.
• Give councils greater powers to regulate bus services according to community needs so that local people get a real say over routes and fares.
• Include the promotion of safer cycling and pedestrian routes in all local transport plans.

restricting aviation growth
The emissions from rising aviation are a serious problem in the fight against
climate change. But in some more remote parts of the country, flights are
a vital lifeline, and aviation is important for the economy as a whole. Liberal
Democrats believe that we should do all we can to ensure people use alternatives where that makes sense.
We will:
• Replace the per-passenger Air Passenger Duty with a per-plane duty (PPD), so capturing freight movements by air for the first time.
• Introduce an additional, higher rate of PPD on domestic flights for which alternative and less polluting travel is readily available.
• Cancel plans for the third runway at Heathrow and any expansion of other airports in the South East.

a fair deal for motorists
Our planned expansion of public transport will provide much-needed alternatives to private cars, and cut carbon emissions. However, in many places there will always be a need for car travel, so we need to ensure that it is as environmentally friendly as possible.
We will:
• Work through the EU for a zero emissions target for all new cars by 2040 and extend targets to other vehicles.
• Undertake preparations for the introduction of a system of road pricing in a second parliament. Any such system would be revenue neutral for motorists, with revenue from cars used to abolish Vehicle Excise Duty and reduce fuel duty, helping those in rural areas who have no alternatives to road travel. Some of the revenue from lorries would be used to fund further extensions of high speed rail through the UK Infrastructure Bank.
• Introduce a rural fuel discount scheme which would allow a reduced
rate of fuel duty to be paid in remote rural areas, as is allowed under EU law.

ALSO.....
• Investing £140 million in a bus scrappage scheme that helps bus companies to replace old polluting buses with new, accessible lowcarbon ones and creates jobs.
AND...
• Require airlines to be honest and upfront about pricing, ending the practice of adding hidden charges.
• Cut rail fares, changing the rules in contracts with Train Operating Companies so that regulated fares fall behind inflation by 1 per cent each year, meaning a real-terms cut.
• Make Network Rail refund a third of your ticket price if you have to take a rail replacement bus service.
• Regulate the parking system to remove unfairness and stop private sector wheel-clamping.
AND..
• Bring in stop-on-request for night buses. You should be able to ask the driver to let you off between stops, so you’re as close to home as possible.

Scottish Nationalist Party:

....We are fully committed to fair and effective policies such as the concessionary travel scheme for older Scots and free personal care.

....We will argue for a fair deal for motorists. There should be a fair fuel regulator so that when oil prices increase motorists are not doubly punished with soaring taxes and prices at the pumps. and the UK should also adopt the same sort of tax derogation on fuel sold in our island and remote communities as exists elsewhere in the EU.

...Since the Scottish election the SNP government has implemented almost three quarters of our headline manifesto commitments. These include:
• Abolishing tolls on the Forth and Tay Bridges
• Completing the M74
• Accelerating the electrification of the central Scotland rail network

...Connecting Scotland is also an important part of our approach to economic growth. The new Borders Railway will provide direct access for many communities to Edinburgh, boosting local jobs and local economies. Similarly, the faster journey times by train from Aberdeen and Inverness, the improvements on the A9 and A96 and the green light for the Aberdeen by-pass will also deliver social and economic benefits for communities in the north and north east. and we will take forward the crucial Forth Replacement Crossing, in the face of the cuts proposed by the government in London.

...Clearly Scotland’s rural communities and economy have specific needs and the SNP is working hard for rural interests. That is why we have introduced road equivalent tariff on routes to the Western Isles, and will look to protect this important initiative from the proposed Labour and Tory cuts.

Plaid Cymru:

...Our action plan would bring high-speed electrified railways to Wales, develop an infrastructure for electric vehicles

...Sustainable Travel
We cannot tackle climate change without considering the impact of transport. The UK will not achieve its target of 80% carbon emission reductions by 2050 if air travel continues to expand.
Plaid Cymru opposes plans for a third runway at Heathrow, which is another example of incoherent and divided thinking by the Labour government in Westminster. We call for the removal of hidden subsidies for air travel and the introduction of tax on aviation fuel. The revenue generated should be invested in improving the public transport network and in reducing rail and long-distance bus fares substantially.
Plaid Cymru has demonstrated in government that it is committed to building an all-Wales, modern, integrated public transport system. We recognise that the railway system will never achieve our environmental objectives unless it is both
cheap and attractive to use, and that will not happen without a significant and ongoing commitment of public funds. We reiterate our call for the railway system to be brought back into public ownership.
With much of the responsibility for the rail network still resting at Westminster, the UK Government must play its part too. We need cheaper and faster high-speed electric rail links from Wales to mainland Europe. We call for a review of the National Assembly’s powers over freight transport and a phased transfer of heavy freight from road to rail.Because Plaid Cymru recognises that in many parts of Wales road travel is unavoidable, we are committed to upgrading key
major road routes, especially north-south links.

UK Independence Party:

...4) A transport investment programme centred on high-speed rail lines, reopened railways, new bypasses, road improvements and port and airport links. The lion’s share of this investment would go to British-based firms.

...· Incentivise and support electric road vehicles, the comprehensive electrification of rail lines and accompanying infrastructure.

12 Transport
UKIP believes the British people have a right to a reliable public and private transport system at an acceptable cost. UKIP will invest in a transport network that meets the needs of the British people and Britain’s economy.
UKIP will:
· Invest an extra £3 billion p.a. in the UK’s transport infrastructure, using money made available by leaving the EU and saving the £6.4 billion net Britain pays every year in EU membership contributions
· Invest in an enhanced and safer road network, building new bypasses and widening major roads
· Offer a ‘Windfall Return’ on fuel duty above a set world dollar oil price. When this level is reached, government receipts from oil duties will be returned to motorists as fuel tax cuts
· Be fair to motorists by subjecting parking charges and revenue-raising devices, including speed cameras, to greater democratic control
· Repeal EU-generated road directives that impose unnecessary and expensive burdens, such as the new Road Transport Directive
· Introduce a ‘Britdisc’ which foreign lorries will have to pay for using major British roads.Currently, many of these lorries pay nothing for the wear and tear they cause
· Veto EU attempts to force the UK into accepting EU lorries that are a third longer and a third heavier than currently allowed - up to an unacceptable 60 tonnes
· Invest in three new 200mph plus high-speed rail lines including a new line between London and Newcastle with a spur to Manchester, a London-Bristol-Exeter line and a linking route via Birmingham
· Expand the rail network by re-opening rail lines where there is a proven need
· Improve passenger rail franchises by demanding higher standards of customer satisfaction, and by extending standard franchise terms to up to 20 years to encourage greater investment and stability
· Encourage a major transfer of freight away from road and onto rail and canal
· Invest in better rail and road links to ports
· Oppose a sixth Heathrow Airport terminal and third runway and the expansion of
Gatwick and Stansted in favour of a major new Hong Kong-style Thames Estuary airport with motorway connections and a high-speed rail service to London, the UK and the Continent.

Download the full Transport policy from the Policies section of www.ukip.org
The Green Party:

...• Introduce VAT and fuel duty on aviation, raising £7bn in 2010 and £10bn by 2013.
• Replace vehicle excise duty by a new graduated purchase tax on vehicles that heavily penalises over-sized or over-powered vehicles. Overall this would be tax neutral.

...On Government spending we have first of all a modest programme of savings...
£1bn initially rising to £3bn on road-building (page 38),
...we have a programme of additional expenditure...
investment in public transport (£4bn, rising to £5bn; page 38),

...• Every young person under the age of 18 and in full time education should be entitled to free off-peak bus fares, to encourage public transport habits in young people early on with a view to making this a behaviour for life.

Promoting safety and sustainability
The emphasis in transport policy should be upon improving access to local facilities and everyday transport.We would prioritise transport modes according to the following hierarchy:
1. Walking and cycling
2. Public transport (trains, trams and buses) and rail freight
3. Cars
4. Heavy goods vehicles
5. Flying
To encourage walking and cycling for shorter journeys and improve road safety we would:
• Reduce speed limits (e.g. to 20mph in built-up areas, including villages).
• Make streets safe; make them public spaces again. Plan for mixed-use developments where shops, housing and businesses are closely located and connected by pavements and cycleways.
• Introduce a maximum speed limit of 55mph on motorways and trunk roads, and
40mph on rural roads, to make them safer for all road users.
• Introduce schemes such as Home Zones, Safe Routes to School and pedestrianisation.
• Ensure that at least 10% of transport spending is on securing a shift to more active travel like walking and cycling.
• Reallocate the £30 billion the Government has earmarked for road-building over the next 10 years. Spend the money on a programme of investment in public
transport over the Parliament.
• Provide affordable, cheaper local transport that is accessible to those with disabilities by investing in buses and subsidising some routes. Make public transport public.
• Reregulate bus services nationally.
• Assist businesses with green workplace travel plans.
• Give higher priority to railways and plan for a growing railway network.
• Open additional stations on existing routes.
• Invest in new Light Rapid Transit systems (using appropriate technologies).
• Simplify fares for all public transport, with discounted fares for off-peak journeys and for those with low incomes.
• Support free local transport for pensioners.
• Return the railways, tube system and other light railway systems, including both track and operations, to public ownership.
• Support in principle a new north–south high-speed line, which would reduce
the number of short-haul flights within the UK.
We would make the cost of private cars more effectively mirror their environmentalcost to wider society:
• Abolish car tax and replace it with a purchase tax on new cars that reflects their
emissions. That way we would affect the types of car chosen at the time that matters, when they are bought new.
• Prioritise public transport, then if necessary work towards the introduction
of road pricing schemes like the London congestion charge.
We would reduce heavy freight and shift it from the roads to the railways:
• Reduce the demand for freight transport by localising the economy.
• Expand the rail freight network and make greater use of waterways, where suitable.
• Safeguard land adjacent to railways for use in freight distribution projects.
• Introduce road user tolls for heavy lorries.
We would reduce air travel:
• Introduce taxation on aviation that reflects its full environmental costs. Failure to tax aviation fuel, and choosing not to levy VAT on tickets and aircraft, amounts to a subsidy worth around £10bn every year in the UK alone.
• Stop airport expansion and shift shorter air journeys to the railways (45% of all air trips in the EU are under 500Km) .
• Ban night flying.

Investing in public transport
Expansion of public transport (and walking and cycling) is critically important to decarbonising our transport infrastructure, which is the only sector in which climate-altering carbon emissions are currently growing.
We would divert money currently being wasted on huge road projects and put more of the UK’s transport budget into public transport, and especially into local schemes for walking, cycling and bus travel.
We would spend £1.5 billion subsidising existing public transport to make fares up to 10% cheaper, and £30 billion over the Parliament on investing in a better system. This will have the effect of strengthening communities, promoting a greater appreciation of place, reducing crime, improving the health of the population and reducing traffic fatalities. It would also create 160,000 jobs.
The new investment in public transport should itself be in low-carbon technologies as far as possible.

Other Manifestos:
BNP: http://bnp.org.uk/pdf_files/BNP-Manifesto-2010-online.pdf
SDLP: http://www.sdlp.ie/images/files/41562_Manifesto_Final.pdf
DUP: http://www.dup.org.uk/DownloadManager.asp?file=DUPManifesto2010.pdf&force=true
ULSTER CONSERVATIVE & UNIONIST NEW FORCE: http://www.voteforchangeni.com/index.php?command=FILES_DOWNLOAD&download=eb222ceb6341a079116bbfca8e639143
Alliance Party: http://www.allianceparty.org/resources/sites/82.165.40.25-42fa41bb0bef84.24243647/Alliance+2010+General+Election+Manifesto.pdf
Traditional Unionist Voice: http://www.tuv.org.uk/files/TUV-Manifesto.pdf
English Democrtas: http://www.voteenglish.org/assets/Uploads/PDF/English-Democrats-Manifesto-2010.pdf
Scottish Socialist Party: http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/new_stories/election2010/ssp-mini-manifesto.html
other manifestos not published.