What a total uninspiring policy that is, god these people should give people hope by saying vote for us and we will build this line etc.
Conservative Party transport policy
http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Transport.aspxTransport
A Conservative Government will provide more green transport choices, but will not bully people out of their cars.
IMPROVING BRITAIN'S RAILWAYS
To ensure the rail industry puts passengers first by tackling overcrowding and improving services, we will:
* Make Network Rail more accountable to passengers, with powers to block executive bonuses in the case of engineering overruns or repeated failures
* End damaging Government micromanagement of our railways
* Encourage train operators to make long-term investments by making 15- to 20-year franchises the norm
We will also examine how high speed rail can be used to tackle Britain’s transport problems, for example by helping to relieve capacity at Heathrow.
CUTTING CONGESTION
We will take steps to tackle some of the worst bottlenecks on Britain’s roads. In some cases this will mean making better use of the capacity we have; in others, building new roads.
Our focus on improving public transport and providing people with viable alternatives to car travel will reduce congestion further.
In addition, we will address one of the major competitive disadvantages facing the UK haulage industry by ensuring that overseas trucks who use UK roads contribute towards the cost of their upkeep.
MAKING LOCAL TRANSPORT GREENER
Labour are blackmailing councils into introducing local road-pricing in return for vital transport funding. We will liberate this money, and let councils use it to fund the green travel initiatives that will work best in their areas, such as projects to encourage cycling and bus use.
So they are only going to examine High Speed Rail.
They are not going to invest in the railways, but get the train operators to do it. That is fine for trains, but what about the infrastructure?
Finally, they will build more roads :bash:
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I agree. It is an absolute nothing policy.
The rail bit was going well until they said they would only 'examine'. We've already got examining!
None of that is any good. There is no substance to that at all. They haven't said how they will do any of those things. Plus we don't need examining of HSR- we need construction. That is why I will be voting LD at the next election as they say they will being construction of a HSR rail network immediately.
There is also no mention of public transport networks in the regional capitals. 'Making local transport greener' can just mean more eco-friendly buses- when the answer is actually in Supertram networks/tube networks.
What a pathetic policy that is.
There is also no mention of public transport networks in the regional capitals. 'Making local transport greener' can just mean more eco-friendly buses- when the answer is actually in Supertram networks/tube networks.
What a pathetic policy that is.
Exactly if you create some pork barrel policies, like trams for cities like Leeds, Portsmouth, Bristol etc, you have a better chance of getting elected as people at local level have a reason to vote for you.There is also no mention of public transport networks in the regional capitals. 'Making local transport greener' can just mean more eco-friendly buses- when the answer is actually in Supertram networks/tube networks.
Political parties forget how our voting system works (ie it's local constituency based) and should recognise that to get some people to vote, they need to offer them something that makes a difference to their local area (and that includes saving local hospitals building local transport systems).
To be fair and also after Leeds No.1 has mentioned the Lib Dems, I have just been and looked at their transport policy. Here it is
Transport
We believe that the transport system should empower individuals to make sustainable choices about the way in which they live, while offering modern, affordable, accessible and reliable means of travelling around Britain.
We believe that building more roads and runways will not tackle congestion. We would invest in a proper public transport system, taxing lorries and domestic flights to invest in high speed rail. By cutting petrol duty and Vehicle Excise Duty and introducing a revenue-neutral motorway and trunk road pricing we can encourage people who can use public transport to switch out of their cars - and still be fair to those in rural areas who can't.
By 2015 and beyond our rail nework will be reaching capacity. We will provide substantial new investment, and update the franchise system to demand more investment from train companies, to create the 21st century rail network our children and grandchildren need.
The failed deregulation of the bus industry must be reversed. We will give local authorities much more control over the pricing and planning of services to create a viable local transport system.
We are debating new transport policies at our Autumn Conference in Bournemouth. To find out more see Fast Track Britain: Building a Transport System for the 21st Century
LD policy is a lot more specific and I have more hope in them as they have said how they will carry out their proposals. Some extracts:
-"Building an extensive high speed rail network"
-"Closing gaps in the electrified rail service and committing to full electrification by 2050"
-"motorway and trunk road pricing within ten years"
-"Britain becoming carbon neutral by 2050."
They're all ambitious, but that will push them more to get things done. You have to be ambitious if you want change- the Victorians had an ambitious vision and made sure it was realised.
-"Building an extensive high speed rail network"
-"Closing gaps in the electrified rail service and committing to full electrification by 2050"
-"motorway and trunk road pricing within ten years"
-"Britain becoming carbon neutral by 2050."
They're all ambitious, but that will push them more to get things done. You have to be ambitious if you want change- the Victorians had an ambitious vision and made sure it was realised.
I agree, I love the Victorian Can Do attitude. Think big and achieve big I say and that goes for a lot of things.They're all ambitious, but that will push them more to get things done. You have to be ambitious if you want change- the Victorians had an ambitious vision and made sure it was realised.
If you want High Speed rail vote Lib Dem, if you more of this should we or shouldn't we vote Labour or Tories.
Labour have had how ever many years. They have failed.
The Tories have failed before they are even in office.
Labour have had how ever many years. They have failed.
The Tories have failed before they are even in office.
I like that phrase. I will remember it and use it. If anyone wants proof, Boris Johnson in London.The Tories have failed before they are even in office.
That Tory policy is unbelievable. Leeds No. 1 was spot on when he said it had no substance. Its just words. Our government is pitiful, whoever you vote for.
Its hard to say how well a Lib Dem government actually would do in office as they (well the Liberal part anyway) haven't been in power since World War I.
Now that we have had getting on for twelve years of New Labour, I wouldn't mind a return to Tory levels of transport investment when large parts of the rail network were electrified and several tram systems were built. Outside of London and the South East, Labour's record on transport investment has been very poor.
Now that we have had getting on for twelve years of New Labour, I wouldn't mind a return to Tory levels of transport investment when large parts of the rail network were electrified and several tram systems were built. Outside of London and the South East, Labour's record on transport investment has been very poor.
Well the US has just voted in a president with ambition; 'yes we can', so maybe that will inspire British people to vote in a party with ambition (ie the Lib Dems).
The Conservatives have already failed and they're not even in power. I mean just look at how Boris Johnson is screwing London up with scrapping the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge zone as well as DLR extensions. And if that is just in London where transport is good, the rest of the country is gonna be screwed. While the Conservatives brought public transport systems to some UK cities, they also privatised everything. I also believe that the electrification of the ECML and WCML would have happened regardless of Labour or Cons in power because it was a natural move in technology.
I fear that the Conservatives will win the next election as many Labour supporters will switch to LD, but there will be some Labour supporters remaining true. It will be a gain for LD and a loss to Lab, enabling Cons to win- even though most voters would put LD/Lab as their first and second choices if it was a diffrerent electoral system.
The Conservatives have already failed and they're not even in power. I mean just look at how Boris Johnson is screwing London up with scrapping the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge zone as well as DLR extensions. And if that is just in London where transport is good, the rest of the country is gonna be screwed. While the Conservatives brought public transport systems to some UK cities, they also privatised everything. I also believe that the electrification of the ECML and WCML would have happened regardless of Labour or Cons in power because it was a natural move in technology.
I fear that the Conservatives will win the next election as many Labour supporters will switch to LD, but there will be some Labour supporters remaining true. It will be a gain for LD and a loss to Lab, enabling Cons to win- even though most voters would put LD/Lab as their first and second choices if it was a diffrerent electoral system.
That is an absolute waste of bytes/paper of a policy. I stopped reading for a while at "End damaging Government micromanagement of our railways". Are they completely f****g gormless?
The Conservatives are a 'nothing' party really. It's all hot air, and when it comes down to the actual policies (on the rare occasions we are informed of them specifically), they are exactly the same party they were 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
Yes, they replaced their logo. But this transport policy quite blatantly shows they have no intention of sticking to what their green logo represents.
They have not given any support to devolution or the EU, and actually want more power at Westminster, not less like the great majority of us who want it in the regions.
I am not someone who will always be committed to a party and vote for them at every election. It really does depend on policies, and so if the Conservatives actually did provide a good alternative to Labour, I would have no problem in voting for them. But they will not only have to give policies with more substance for me to vote for them, they will also have to change some of their fundamental values. I refuse to vote for any party that has even vaguely right wing social policies, or any party that wants to tighten border controls and immigration. Because to be quite honest, that is the typical selfish 'think only of ourselves' Conservative attitude. The Conservatives constantly talk about building a better Britain, but I personally want to see a party that doesn't just want to build a better Britain, but wants to make sure building a better Britain is also beneficial to people outside our country who are less well off than ourselves. The Conservatives will never be able to satisfy that under their currently policies.
Yes, they replaced their logo. But this transport policy quite blatantly shows they have no intention of sticking to what their green logo represents.
They have not given any support to devolution or the EU, and actually want more power at Westminster, not less like the great majority of us who want it in the regions.
I am not someone who will always be committed to a party and vote for them at every election. It really does depend on policies, and so if the Conservatives actually did provide a good alternative to Labour, I would have no problem in voting for them. But they will not only have to give policies with more substance for me to vote for them, they will also have to change some of their fundamental values. I refuse to vote for any party that has even vaguely right wing social policies, or any party that wants to tighten border controls and immigration. Because to be quite honest, that is the typical selfish 'think only of ourselves' Conservative attitude. The Conservatives constantly talk about building a better Britain, but I personally want to see a party that doesn't just want to build a better Britain, but wants to make sure building a better Britain is also beneficial to people outside our country who are less well off than ourselves. The Conservatives will never be able to satisfy that under their currently policies.
Please :nuts:Well the US has just voted in a president with ambition; 'yes we can', so maybe that will inspire British people to vote in a party with ambition (ie the Lib Dems).
The lib dems have **** all experience running a country. I wouldn't trust them to calculate the VAT on a kettle.
They can roll off all the nicety ambitions they want - never going to get in to power unless there's a hung parliament.
To be clear: I dont vote conservative.
However, their track record on transport - they have done more than Labour ever did.
Think CTRL, think ECML, think Metrolink, think Nexus, think Jubilee line.
These are big projects - spread out across the country. Labour arguably has done some stuff - by building on these exist Tory concepts - but at about 20 times the price.
However, their track record on transport - they have done more than Labour ever did.
Think CTRL, think ECML, think Metrolink, think Nexus, think Jubilee line.
These are big projects - spread out across the country. Labour arguably has done some stuff - by building on these exist Tory concepts - but at about 20 times the price.
Tories and transport?
Privatised the buses
From state monopoly to Stagecoach and First Bus monopoly
Privatised the trains
Then Hatfield and Potters Bar.
Closure of lines.
Beeching and Maples.
Need I say more.
Realpolitik decree that the seats and the certain voters who both the Tories and Labour need to convince to win a general elction are not the same people who'd directly benefit from public transport improvements.
Those swing voters and seats in suburban and small town England aren't campaigning for a new tram system or electrified trains, unless its to commute to London.
Plus there is considerable leverage from the Treasury (who know that car users are generating tax, public transport users are spennding tax) and the car lobby's control of the Dept of Transport to make deflect any progressive attitude to mass transit.
And add to that, the real ideological belief of the right that public transport is something foreign, socialist and therefore wrong for the self sufficient individual as they strive truimphantly in a de regulated, low tax, small state society. (well except at times of war or economic crisis caused by the de regulated, low tax, small state society.)
After all Robinson Crusoe didnt need a tram, so........................
Privatised the buses
From state monopoly to Stagecoach and First Bus monopoly
Privatised the trains
Then Hatfield and Potters Bar.
Closure of lines.
Beeching and Maples.
Need I say more.
Realpolitik decree that the seats and the certain voters who both the Tories and Labour need to convince to win a general elction are not the same people who'd directly benefit from public transport improvements.
Those swing voters and seats in suburban and small town England aren't campaigning for a new tram system or electrified trains, unless its to commute to London.
Plus there is considerable leverage from the Treasury (who know that car users are generating tax, public transport users are spennding tax) and the car lobby's control of the Dept of Transport to make deflect any progressive attitude to mass transit.
And add to that, the real ideological belief of the right that public transport is something foreign, socialist and therefore wrong for the self sufficient individual as they strive truimphantly in a de regulated, low tax, small state society. (well except at times of war or economic crisis caused by the de regulated, low tax, small state society.)
After all Robinson Crusoe didnt need a tram, so........................
CTRL: funded and built under Labour.To be clear: I dont vote conservative.
However, their track record on transport - they have done more than Labour ever did.
Think CTRL, think ECML, think Metrolink, think Nexus, think Jubilee line.
ECML: electrified on the cheap so it falls down every ten minutes
Metrolink: you can have that one.
Nexus: the T&W Metro was funded and built under Callaghan, it just opened under Thatcher. Subsequently, the Tory deregulation of local bus services destroyed the rail/bus integration that Nexus was supposed to be about.
JLE: this was delayed for 15 years under the Tories and re-routed away from the most congestion-relieving alignment to bail out the Tories' friends in Docklands.
At about 20x the price? JLE cost gbp3.5bn in 1997 money, for half the length of Crossrail. Indeed, the epic Tory disasters that were the JLE project and Railtrack/WCML upgrade were the main factors that scared Labour off big rail projects in their first 10 years.These are big projects - spread out across the country. Labour arguably has done some stuff - by building on these exist Tory concepts - but at about 20 times the price.
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