You’ve cancelled Britain’s new zero-carbon, high-speed railway, but what is the knock-on effect for journeys by other means?
Bath’s MP, Wera Hobhouse, who is also the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, has demanded to know whether the government was concerned that the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 will lead to half a million more lorry journeys annually in the UK.
In a written question to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Mark Harper, she noted that each freight train removes up to 76 lorries from UK roads. After much speculation the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 was announced at the Conservative Party Conference.
Cancelling part of HS2 is predicted to lead to half a million more freight journeys on UK roads per year, severely contributing to traffic congestion. According to the National Infrastructure Commission, congestion could account for over 16% of the cost of road freight, equivalent to around £6 billion per year.
Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, commented:
“The Secretary of State says that the Conservative Party is not anti-motorist, but cutting HS2 will lead to more commuters being stuck in traffic jams on the UK’s congested roads. Being pro-public transport is also pro-motorist – it is as simple as that.
“Meanwhile, we have a Prime Minister who flies around the country by helicopter while scrapping high-speed rail links and leaving the UK’s roads in a logjam. The Conservatives are out of touch, out of ideas, and deserve to be kicked out of office.”
