by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
London, UK, 10/26/2010: Reacting to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond's announcement today, Jason Torrance, Sustrans Policy Manager, said: "Sustrans is dismayed that government is missing a golden opportunity to put right a broken transport system, despite its green promises.
"The Secretary of State for Transport proudly boasts that his lengthy list of road transport schemes bring benefits of £6 for every £1 spent. But sustainable transport schemes that encourage active travel offer much better value, at £8 for every £1 spent. And they directly address the congestion issues that today's announcement claims to resolve.
"And there are other benefits. Given that 1 in 20 UK people are now being treated for type 2 diabetes and 1 in 10 for obesity - both illnesses that are exacerbated by physical inactivity - improving the health of the nation, and tackling the costs attached to that, has to be seen as critical. With this in mind not prioritising walking and cycling should be unthinkable."
The greenest government ever they said they would be but so far there seems to be little to show for it but talk, talk, and more talk and claims but very little, is any, action.
The UK needs an alternative transport policy, a proper one, and it needs it now.
We needs cycle paths that are proper ones, like in countries such as Holland, Germany and Denmark, which are physically separated from the road traffic to make people feels safe to cycle but all we get, and not just from the coalition government, is stupid replies as to how difficult it would be to do it.
© 2010
