In our small island after 12 years of Labour Government, we find our roads are hopelessly congested, our railways are still very poor and our only air transport policy is "more Heathrow". All these things are loathed with a passion by the vast majority of our countrymen. Yet what can be done? The public finances will take at least five years to put back together and we know deep down that Government spending will have to be slashed in many areas. Transport investment is clearly going to take a hit whether we like it or not. And let's be honest, it may well mean that Crossrail and motorway improvement schemes are lost as Matthew points out. The depressing consequence of Labour's economic incompetence.
Yet there are options open to a Conservative Government to keep transport investment moving forward even in difficult times. The first is that it is possible to build new motorways. How? Through tolls for infrastructure. It's not something any of us like, yet it is an option and it may be the only game in town when the Government has no money. Second, any public sector subsidy required for the High Speed Rail network could be structured so it is provided at a later point - e.g. once it is built. And you never know, high speed rail might actually pay for itself more than people currently think. That sort of finance structure may be what is required to save the Crossrail project. Third, just because the Conservatives say no to yet more Heathrow does not mean we cannot have an expansion and renaissance in regional airports. Those expansion projects should be self funding and should help drive regional economic expansion.
I don't know about you, but I really, really hate traffic jams. They drive me mad. There is an amazing amount of really boring stuff that can be done to cut congestion. Better road planning, traffic light management, more overnight maintenance and stamping out this wretched business of utility companies digging up roads every five seconds - which they still do! Often the smaller things make a bigger difference than the grand schemes. Years of anti motorist policies have weighed heavily in these areas. There is the potential here to make quite a few fairly quick and inexpensive changes. Changes that would impact positively on quality of life.
