European Transport Policy supports local decision making, not "one size fits all" solution (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

European Transport Policy supports local decision making, not "one size fits all" solution

January 21, 2010 11:13 AM

The EU Action Plan on urban mobility offers local authorities help with reducing emissions and improving access to public transport

The Daily Express has today published an article which completely misrepresents the European Union's "Action Plan on urban mobility". Virtually all the claims made about European transport policy are simply false. The article is a prize example of the extent to which some sections of the British media deliberately and irresponsibly demonise the European Union.

The thrust of the Express's story is that the Commission wants to "slap draconian European Union driving laws on Britain's roads". In fact, the approach adopted by the Commission is entirely the opposite. In the words of the Action Plan: "In general local authorities are themselves best placed to define and implement urban mobility policies adapted to local circumstances. But they face common problems. The EU can support them and enable and encourage the development of a new culture for urban mobility in Europe, without prescribing one-size-fits-all or top-down solutions."

There are twenty issues that the Commission addresses in the Action Plan, including:

• providing information to passengers who use public transport systems; and to local authorities on funding opportunities, procurement rules and state aid restrictions

• increasing access to mobility impaired passengers, for example; and ensuring the rights of all passengers, including mechanisms for making complaints

• improving energy efficiency in public transport systems and in driving

• reducing the environmental impact of transport by promoting the use of zero and low emission vehicles, and by minimising the impact of freight transport in urban areas.

The take-up of any of this is entirely voluntary on the part of national, regional or local governments. The European Commission is making good ideas available, and who can complain about that?

Conservative Party frontbencher Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Secretary, is described by the Express as a critic of the Action Plan. She is quoted saying: "To improve our roads and tackle driver hassle, we need more local decision making, not one-size-fits-all diktats from Brussels." Since this is exactly what the Action Plan offers, perhaps we can look forward to her retracting her words, once she has had an opportunity to grasp the detail of her portfolio.

The Daily Express article can be read at:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/153073/Europe-plots-green-blitz-on-British-roads.