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ACCELERATE TRANSPORT INVESTMENT OR SEE WELSH ECONOMY STALL – OPIK

Responding to calls from the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce for a system of road charging, Lembit Opik, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and MP for Montgomeryshire, outlined new proposals passed at the Liberal Democrat conference last week to rapidly develop a sustainable, efficient and eco-friendly transport infrastructure that would provide a major boost to the Welsh economy.

The key policies are:

· A ring fenced ‘Future Transport Fund’ with revenue from high Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on high emission vehicles, road charging for foreign and national long distance freight, a climate change charge on flights and taxing airlines for the emissions they produce.

· Bringing forward a further £9.8bn network grant from 2009-2014.

· Incentives for using low emission vehicles including withdrawing VED from low emission vehicles.

· Substantial investment in a new east-west high speed rail link, national & local rail network, longer trains and platforms.

· Substantial investment in local buses & trams, waterway transport and an extensive urban and rural bicycle network.

Lembit said:

"The Welsh economy is suffering under a transport network that has been under funded for decades by successive Tory and Labour Governments. While some road charging may be part of the future solution, it is only one small part of a much bigger picture.

"Road congestion is reaching breaking point with road traffic increasing 11% every year under Labour. Even if we did build new roads, how long would it be until they too become heavily congested?

"Our railways are the most expensive in Europe. A £10 rail fare will take you 38 miles in the UK compared to 97 miles in Spain or 107 miles in France. Bus fares have jumped by 10% on average since 1997.

"Road transport greenhouse gas emissions have risen by nearly 50% under Labour and green taxes have decreased year on year providing fewer and fewer financial incentives for people to switch to low emission vehicles.

"In the past, people have objected to environmental transport charges because there was no guarantee that the money would be reinvested back into transport. We would guarantee this.

"Every single penny raised from green taxes on polluting vehicles, on airlines for the flight emissions and from a long distance charge for foreign and national air freight, would be directly reinvested into transport through a ring-fenced Future Transport Fund.

"We would use this to build a world class national and local rail network in Wales that would provide affordable, efficient and low emission transport for everyone in Wales. And we would invest in a dense and affordable bus and bicycle network, local trams and pedestrian zones.

"The longer the Governments in the Assembly and Westminster keep transport improvements in 1st gear, the more likely it is that the Welsh economy will stall. A piecemeal approach is not an option. We must raise revenue from taxing pollution from transport and reinvest all of it back into building a sustainable transport network ".