CBI warns of more transport misery

Britain could face "another decade of transport misery" unless the Government restores the credibility of its 10-year transport plan, the CBI has said.

The plan was behind schedule, failing on delivery and also failing as a solution to congestion, said the report - the CBI's third annual assessment of the £180 billion plan.

Some projects had been completed but the perception was that they had made "little difference to the daily experience of most transport users," said CBI director general Digby Jones.

The expectations for rail had turned out to be "unrealistic," while many transport schemes would not be completed within the original timescale of the plan, said the report.

It added that business confidence in Government transport policy over the last 12 months had been "seriously undermined" by the "slow progress on the ground and the uncertainty about the value of the plan".

Mr Jones said: "Ministers need to show resolve by reinforcing the plan.

"It's behind schedule and, even if completed, it won't reduce congestion. But abandoning it would be worse. That would just sentence users to another decade of transport misery."

He went on: "To be globally competitive and to become more productive UK business needs to get its goods to market and people to work. Some projects have been completed but the perception is that they have made little difference to the daily experience of most transport users.

"Congestion on key parts of the road network is worse than before the plan, and performance on the railways has yet to return to the levels of the late 1990s. As a result businesses lack the confidence they need to make investment decisions that are vital for future growth and the continued economic success of the UK."

The Government is due to review the plan next year. The report said this review should not be an excuse to abandon the plan but "must restore its credibility and ensure it delivers in practice".

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