McLoughlin ‘faces range of challenges’

Patrick McLoughlin’s reappointment as Secretary of State for Transport  has been welcomed by the Campaign for Better Transport. Chief Executive of CfBT, Stephen Joseph, said, ‘The Transport Secretary faces a range of challenges to get this country moving and craft a transport system which is sustainable, efficient and fair. Patrick McLoughlin must make the right decisions on the important issues of rail fares, rail franchising, buses and roads, which all have a strong impact on people’s everyday lives. He must also act to create a more sustainable transport system that works for communities across the country, do more to improve air pollution following the recent Supreme Court ruling and ensure that spending focuses on meeting our future transport needs.’

The Campaign claimed one of the key issues the government needs to address is the loss of bus services. It said that since 2010, over 2,000 routes have been reduced or cut entirely. It claimed the government should also build on the recently announced ‘total transport’ pilot projects to bring services together at local level. It also said the government needs to reconsider its roads priorities. CfBT said that under existing plans, huge sums are to be spent on new major road projects which will increase traffic and pollution, while there is a £12bn backlog in maintenance of local roads. According to the organisation, the government should sort out local roads, giving people real travel choices and review the big road projects.

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