Transport campaigners call for road-rail shift

The government needs to take decisive action over transport priorities in next week's Autumn Budget and Spending Review, according to the Campaign for Better Transport. It is calling on the Chancellor to end the road fuel duty freeze, replace vehicle excise and fuel duties with road pricing and suspend work on new roads while the National Policy Statement for National Networks is being reviewed. It is also says domestic flights should be banned when the equivalent journey by rail takes five hours or less, while rail fares should be reduced in order to compete with budget airlines. There should be no rail fare increases in the coming year, and flexible season tickets should be rethought so that the discounts they offer are similar to full time seasons. The Campaign's chief exectuive Paul Tuohy said: 'The Chancellor must use the Autumn Budget and Spending Review to get the country moving again in a sustainable way and not simply accelerate a car-led recovery. We are particularly keen to see that public transport passengers are given the same level of support as drivers, with a fare freeze for next year and further financial incentives to ensure more of us can make the switch to cleaner, greener ways of getting about.'