Better Transport

29 July: Findings from 2009's National Travel Survey were announced today. They show that the distance travelled by car has continued to fall but that bus use across the UK is starting to pick up.

The survey shows that distance travelled by car peaked in 2000 but the decline in the last couple of years has been faster as the economy has slowed down. It shouldn't be the case that prosperity means traffic and in fact we've set out how investment in sustainable transport can support jobs and help those returning to work.

And for the first time in a few years bus use is growing outside London, on top of the big growth in bus passenger numbers in London. But this could be a false dawn if the government cuts support for bus services.

19 July: Investing in sustainable transport supports the creation of more jobs than spending on road building. That's the message of the report we've just published with Sustrans and pteg.

The report also shows that over 450,000 people work in sustainable transport - around one in 65 jobs in the UK.

The report shows that if the government wants to support job creation and to fulfil its ambition of being the greenest government ever, then it needs to prioritise investment in sustainable transport rather than spending on expensive road schemes.

Now is the time to make that message heard by the government as it decides on its spending priorities in the Spending Review. You can help us take that message to government by supporting one of our actions to:

• protect bus services
• tackle overcrowding on the railway
• make low rail fares a priority

17 June: We've been asking people to tell Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to call a halt to the expansion of Brent Cross and prevent the congestion caused by the way the scheme is planned. But we've just heard he's not going to act.

The expansion of Brent Cross will double the size of the shopping centre and increase the number of parking spaces from 7,500 to a dismal 20,000, as we revealed in our "Missed Opportunity Areas" report.

London is now being blasted by traffic-generating projects. All its big opportunity sites are being used for car-based schemes.

Westfield at White City has 4,500 parking spaces, sites at Stratford City and the Greenwich Peninsular will have 10,000 apiece and now Brent Cross is to go ahead with 20,000. Even Battersea Power Station in central London is to have 3,000. This is retrograde 20th century design on an extraordinary scale.

All the policies in favour of reducing car use and increasing the number of journeys made on foot, by bicycle and public transport will be worthless until government realises that developments should no longer be planned around the car.

15 June: There's only one thing on politicians' minds at the moment - cutting the deficit. But there's a real danger that in their rush they'll make superficially easy cuts that are very damaging. We've published today how we think they can be smarter about cuts.

Our approach is based on asking the following questions:

1. How can we reduce the need to travel longer-distances and therefore reduce the need for new transport infrastructure?

2. How can we get the most out of existing transport infrastructure?

3. What low-cost, high-return spending should be prioritised now?

4. Which higher-cost spending that still meets long-term needs can be deferred?

5. Which spending which does not meet long-term challenges (particularly on reducing carbon from transport) can be cut?

And we're also calling for a smarter approach to localism - one that gives local authorities an incentive to work together to make a difference, and to help them to work more productively with transport operators.

This is the first major report on transport spending after the election. We want it to start a debate about what the priorities should be for the more limited amounts of money now available for transport.

Let us know, what do you think should be the priorities for transport?

7June: One of the last acts of the Labour Government was to start a discussion about a new Urban Challenge Fund. Despite the change of government and cuts to public spending, we still need the Fund to challenge local councils to make transport better.

When we first responded to the idea of an Urban Challenge Fund, we called on the parties to commit to the good ideas in the proposal and to ensure that funding would be found to deliver them.

We've now responded to the Department for Transport's discussion paper (see below) and reiterated our support for the Fund. We also told local transport minister Norman Baker when we met with him today that the Fund is a good opportunity for the new government to make its mark on transport. We'll wait and see whether he listens to that message.

20 May: We need to start thinking about car dependent developments in the same way that many people think about new road schemes:  both generate traffic.

Even in London, with its reputation for progressive transport, new developements need to promote healthier forms of travel and meet higher standards of urban design, free of traffic domination.

We’ve just published a report, ‘Missed Opportunity Areas’ (PDF), which measures two major London development projects against a set of principles for reduced car dependency and, to different degrees, finds them wanting.

The Brent Cross proposals for an enormous development are much the worst. They would add parking spaces for about 12,500 cars to the 7,600 spaces that already exist and, in an estimate that Barnet Council now wishes it had never produced, generate about 29,000 additional car journeys a day. The development lacks any significant new public transport.

At least the Battersea Power Station scheme is based on a new extension of the Northern Line to be partly paid for by capturing the increase in land values as a result of improved public transport. Still though, in a much smaller scheme than Brent Cross, it includes parking for 3,250 cars, enough to have a severe impact on local roads.

Rather than building eco-towns in isolated locations we should build eco-quarters in existing urban areas. With work and amenities close to hand, requiring only links to existing walking, cycling and public transport networks, these could be largely car free along the lines that have been successfully demonstrated in Freiburg and elsewhere. London is well placed to do this but in these developments has yet to.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has said that he wants London to be the best big city in the world. It’s partly because he’s not insisting on much reduced provision for the car at Brent Cross and Battersea, that these developments are such big missed opportunities.

But it’s not too late to stop Brent Cross.

From our Take Action page, you can write to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government asking him to call it in for a public inquiry (Note: this action is now closed). 

12 May: Conservative MP Philip Hammond has just been confirmed as the new Secretary of State for Transport, and we've just written to him to tell him what we think the priorities need to be for the new government on transport.

Coming from a shadow Treasury position, Philip Hammond may have been brought in to make the cuts in the Department for Transport's budget that are needed to achieve the government's aim to reduce the deficit. But Mr Hammond must also make sure that he keeps within a declining carbon budget as well as financial budget.

We welcome the first moves on transport - to scrap the third runway at Heathrow and refuse new runways at Gatwick and Heathrow. But we also need to scrap other transport schemes which would add to carbon emissions, like the £1.3bn for 21 miles of new A14.

Spending must be focussed instead on transport which provides real returns for society, particularly for the smaller amounts of money that will be spent. That means supporting bus services (for instance with the Bus Service Operators Grant) and making sure that everyday rail services are affordable and reliable.

We'd also like to see the new Secretary of State back the proposed Urban Challenge Fund (very similar to the Conservatives' plans for a carbon reduction fund) to tackle congestion, improve health and enhance the environment in our towns and cities.

You can read our letter to Philip Hammond below.

10 May: London Mayor Boris Johnson is today calling for the new Government to protect funding for London's public transport. We agree. But at the same time he's going ahead with a consultation to remove the western extension of the congestion charge which will cut vital income for London's transport.

Boris and business leaders have made their pitch to the new government in the Guardian today. They're calling for continued support for Crossrail, tube upgrades and the bus network.

Today also sees the publication of his transport strategy. Though we agree with much of the strategy when it was being consulted on, we called on Boris to do more to set out how London will achieve targets to reduce carbon from transport and we warned against those proposals which would do the opposite.

Chief among these were the proposed removal of the western extension of the congestion charge (the "WEZ"). This also removes a significant income stream for transport in London and will make it more difficult for Boris to argue for London to escape funding cuts when he comes to negotiate with the Treasury.

We also opposed his plans to defer the third phase of the low emission zone given that  London's poor air quality is linked to 4,300 premature deaths a year.

As part of today's announcement, Boris has said he will consult this month on removing the western extension so that it can take place this year and deferring the third phase of the low emission zone to 2012. Now is not the time to do either of these - we'll be calling on Boris Johnson to keep the WEZ and bring in the third phase of the LEZ as soon as is practical.

7 May: With no party winning enough seats to form a majority, a deal between parties now looks likely to form a government. Whether Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem, new ministers need urgently to set out a clear strategy for transport..

An immediate priority will be the transport budget. Spending on transport is likely to be under particular pressure as other departments and services likely to be protected from the scale of cuts. But ministers and civil servants need to avoid damaging blanket cuts to all budgets, and should instead prioritise spending on making the best of the current transport system. They need to make sure transport stays within our carbon budgets, not just our financial budgets.

A minority government could face pressure from backbenchers to fund their particular pet projects, and we've highlighted the empty promises candidates have already been making. Politicians have already told us what they would do to deliver a low-carbon transport system - now they need to work together and deliver it.

21 April: Yesterday Stephen went to Leighton Buzzard to celebrate the launch of a very special bus service. The service links a brand-new housing development to the town and station, so when the first people move in they'll have public transport links already in place. What an example for the rest of the country.

We think it's vital that new housing doesn't lead to traffic problems for local people. In the Leighton Buzzard estate there will also be great cycling facilities and a new, super-local community hall, school and shops, reducing the need for people to drive. The houses will even have futuristic screens in their kitchens telling them when the next bus is due!

We helped this happen by lobbying the Government to fund the work as an exemplar project. And much is down to inspiring local campaigner Victoria Harvey: she's fought long and hard for these groundbreaking measures, and we've been with her every step of the way. Well done Victoria!

19 April: Last week the Green Party launched their election manifesto, including proposals to change to the way that transport is run in the UK with the state running or directly regulating much more public transport.

Of the minor parties, the Greens have the greatest focus on transport and where they're represented (on the Greater London Assembly and in the European Parliament) they've been very vocal on issues like emissions from aviation or support for cycling. 

The Greens' general election manifesto shows this focus. It's quite different to the main parties' policies in proposing the renationalisation of the railway network, and in the priority it gives to walking and cycling, for instance calling for big reductions in speed limits and spending 10% of transport budgets on active travel (which would mean the Department for Transport spending around £2bn on walking and cycling).

Where the Greens do agree with the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem parties is on high speed rail, backing the principle of a north south line despite opposition by some prominent Green members.

14 April: The last of the manifestos is launched today, with the Lib Dems setting out their proposals. The manifesto has their recent commitments to cut train fares by 1% below inflation each year and to grow the railways, as well as ambitions for road pricing in a second term.

The main focus of the Lib Dems in terms of sustainable transport is on the railways, with the commitments to cut train fares, to open closed lines (paid for out of cuts to the roads budge), for passengers to get a third of their ticket price back if they have to take a replacement bus service, and for reforms to Network Rail to make it more accountable. Their proposed UK Infrastructure Bank (supported by funds from lorry road user charging) would also pay for high speed rail, which presumably would help avoid cutting public transport budgets to pay for it.

But buses, walking and cycling feature less strongly, though the Lib Dems are promising a £140m "bus scrappage scheme" (similar to the current £10m DfT green bus fund) and for more but unspecified powers for local councils to regulate bus services.

The latest polls suggest that we could have a hung Parliament. If the Lib Dems hold the balance of power, they're going to be asked which of their policies they're going to push for in any deals. 

13 April: The Conservative manifesto is out today, confirming their opposition to expanding Heathrow airport and to reforming transport appraisal. But where's the new toll roads proposal?

Like the Labour manifesto, there's not much new here: we've heard their high-speed rail proposals before, as well as their preference for partnerships between bus operators and local councils (as opposed the more binding Quality Contracts supported by the Labour party).

Similarly, the recently announced fuel duty stabiliser is a restatement of a policy first consulted on in 2008. It's interesting that they're promising to consult again, rather than just implimenting it - is this to leave some wriggle room in case the extra revenue becomes too attractive to turn down?

Most interesting is what's not in the manifesto. Last week David Cameron suggested that new roads would be funded through tolls (and refused to rule out tolling existing roads to pay for new capacity), but there's no suggestion of toll roads (or, indeed, of any new roads at all).

We've just received a letter from Shadow Transport Secretary, Theresa Villiers, which goes into more detail about their plans for reforming NATA, introducing a transport carbon reduction fund and reducing the need for business travel through video conferencing. 

Don't forget to check out our compilation of the three main parties' transport policies and the key questions they have yet to answer.

April 12: Labour’s election manifesto, launched this morning, guarantees the cheapest fare for rail passengers. But when even the cheapest fares are pricing people off the train, does this commitment go far enough?

When a Government has been in power as long as Labour has, their manifestos generally reconfirm existing commitments. This Labour manifesto is no different. If re-elected, Labour guarantees to invest in major rail and tram schemes, including electrification, Crossrail, and to provide 1,000 new rail carriages.

There’s also some new ideas, like their commitment to the cheapest fare (although you have to ask why it’s taken 13 years), and the opportunity for co-operatives and mutuals to bid for rail franchises.

Guaranteeing that passengers will be offered the cheapest fare would make some trips more affordable. When consumer group Which? investigated rail fares, they found that over half of their mystery shoppers weren’t offered the cheapest fare.

But with regulated rail fares rising 1% above inflation every year, even the cheapest fare are set to become more expensive year-on-year. Given that the cost of train travel has risen 13% in real terms since 1997, while the cost of motoring has fallen 14%, does Labour’s cheapest fares pledge go far enough?

6 April: With a May 6th election announced, the parties have moved into full electioneering mode. Read our analysis of what to expect in the manifestos for transport.

We've analysed what the three main parties have said so far in their policy briefings and in the speeches we hosted with their spokespeople. We've also set out the key questions they've yet to answer.

We'll be updating the pages as we hear more from the parties in the election campaign, including from the manifestos which the parties should be launching next week.

24 March: Today's budget from Alistair Darling contains some welcome announcements (for instance agreeing to our call for another round of the Green Bus Fund) but the tough choices about prioritising spending are postponed again till after the election.

We need to make green transport choices the easy and affordable choice but the danger remains that the next Government will continue to hike rail fares while abandoning planned fuel duty increases, reinforcing the trend over the past 13 years for the price of motoring to fall and for public transport to rise.  Fuel duty increases should be linked with reductions in rail fares and increased investment in public transport.

The Budget ducked some of the difficult transport spending choices. High speed rail remains the big deal for transport but it’s a long term project. In the meantime, short term spending pressures could hit everyday transport like local bus and rail services with service cuts and fares rises. The new green investment bank is welcome, but should be used to fund green urban transport schemes such as trams, as well as electric cars.

And we’re disappointed there was no action to tax business jets, which currently pay no fuel tax and in many cases pay no Air Passenger Duty either.

But we're pleased to see a second round of the Green Bus fund, which we called for in our Improving Everyday Transport manifesto.

23 March: We've been calling on the Government to support and fund "smarter choices" measures, like school travel plans and promoting walking and cycling. Transport minister Sadiq Khan has just confirmed to us that smarter choices will only be supported through the new urban challenge fund or as part of local transport plans. We don't think this is enough.

That's why we're backing Friends of the Earth's campaign to call on the Government to do more to roll out smarter choices measures across the country. Around 130 MPs have now backed a motion calling for a national roll out of smarter choices. You can ask your MPs to sign up via the Friends of the Earth website.

We're also working with Sustrans and the Passenger Transport Executive Group (pteg) to set out how we can take smarter choices programmes to the next level in our cities and expand their scale and impact. You can read pteg's summary of the ten ways forward in the attached briefing.

3 March: For a while we've been calling for the Government to help the capability of cities to reduce traffic in their area. Now the Government has responded and has launched an Urban Challenge Fund for transport. But there's no money set aside yet for it, and no timescales.

There are some great ideas in the fund like supporting public realm improvements, improving bus services, supporting smarter choices and encouraging walking and cycling. It rightly recognises that getting transport right is not just about congestion, but also improving our environment and creating great cities to live in, as well as improving people's health.

In addition, civil servants at the launch event for the fund were saying that successful places are those where there's been a clear aim to reduce traffic levels and lock-in the benefits by reallocating roadspace to modes like walking, cycling and buses. Successful places also need to have strong city leadership and bring together different responsibilties for planning, public transport and highways - as we've been calling for.

But what's missing from the launch are details of how much will be available and when the funding will be announced. And funding for the promised sustainable travel city programme has now been rolled into this new fund, so those cities bidding for that will now need to start over again.

This means that the Urban Challenge Fund will have to get past the election and the spending review after the election - two major challenges for it. The Conservatives have called for a carbon reduction fund and we'll be challenging each of the parties to commit to the good ideas in these funds and to ensure that funding will be found to deliver them.

26 January: We're launching today our manifesto for improving everyday transport. We'll be challlenging politicians in the run-up to the election to tell us what they would do to make it easier to travel by public transport, walking and cycling.

A lot of attention has been focused on discussions on high speed rail and aviation, but the parties need to set out how they would use government's control and influence over transport and planning to make alternatives to the car easier and cheaper to use. We're setting out straightforward, common-sense proposals that would radically improve transport while keep spending under control.

The manifesto has been jointly drawn up with the Campaign to Protect Rural England, CTC - the national cyclists' organisation, Friends of the Earth and Living Streets. We'll be launching it formally at the third of our speeches from the main party spokespeople this evening with Norman Baker MP, and we're calling on the parties to adopt our proposals as they set out their policies ahead of the general election.

19 January: The Government has responded to the Committee on Climate Change's annual progress report and has strongly backed our call for much better integration of land use planning and transport.

Alongside better coordination of transport and planning policy, delivery on the ground must be better too and we're pleased that the Government asked the Commission for Integrated Transport to look into this. They've produced a tool for those working in this field, drawing on our own masterplanning checklist.

The Government response to the progress report also gives strong support for "smarter choices" measures which promote public transport, walking and cycling. But it's a shame the Department for Transport doesn't back this up with real support for these measures. It's still holding up the funding for the "sustainable travel city" project that was announced last year.

We're calling on the Government to release the funding for the sustainable travel cities and for kickstart bus funding now. Join our call.

16 January: We've just responded to the London Plan and Mayor's Transport Strategy. The fact that both are being developed at the same time should be a great opportunity to integrate planning and transport but the failure to set out a real vision in either means this could be a missed opportunity for London.

There is much in the London Plan and Mayor's Transport Strategy that is good for London and its environment - commitment to reduce the need to travel, to support local centres and to promote more walking and cycling. But there is a failure to show how transport will contribute to reducing London's carbon emissions and some policies would increase, not reduce, traffic across the city.

Parking standards are relaxed, there is no strategy for how fares can be set to support people to use transport more sustainably and the proposed abolition of the western extension of the congestion charge zone means that car use will increase in much of London. London will face more congestion not less if Boris doesn't listen to the consultation, and we'll be lobbying hard for improvements before the final London Plan and transport strategy are published.

12 January: I've just written to all the regional government offices to ask them to make sure that the latest round of local transport plans have serious targets for cutting CO2 from transport.

Local transport authorities have to agree the next round of local transport plans (LTP3) by March 2011. This time, local councils are much freer to set out their own priorities. This could help them respond better to local needs, but they also need to contribute to the national need to cut CO2 from transport and there's a danger that they won't do enough to switch away from carbon intensive transport. The regional government offices are the only external check on LTP3s, so we're asking them to properly assess local transport plans in their region to ensure that local authorities clearly set out what they're doing on CO2.

We've set out in our briefing that the government offices need to ask tough questions when they meet with local authorities to assess progress. As well as making sure that the LTP3 addresses how public transport, walking and cycling will be made more attractive compared to car travel, the government offices need to make sure that local authorities are properly engaging with environmental and other groups when they develop their plans. This should be an opportunity to really make a difference to local transport, not just to carry on as before.

18 December: The Government this week gave in to Norfolk council and gave the go-head for the £91 million Norwich North Distributor Road despite the council's failure to make an effective case for the road. But at the same time funding for vital Kickstart funding and for pilot sustainable travel cities is being held up by the Treasury.

In the week of the Copenhagen climate talks, the Government is failing to live up to its rhetoric on climate change, locking in CO2 emissions with new road building and failing to support greener alternatives.

We're calling on transport minister Sadiq Khan to stand up to the Treasury and maintain Kickstart bus funding and the sustainable travel cities project. Please join us and tell the Government to stick to their promises to support greener transport.

8 December: Our friends at COIN have written a great new guide for community groups.

We've added it to our list of resources for groups wanting to improve transport locally - resources that can be used alongside any of the guides on our website. COIN is the Climate Outreach and Information Network.

19 November: We're calling on Boris Johnson to think again about his intention to scrap the western extension of the congestion charge as it becomes clearer that people aren't impressed with the fare rises they face as a result.

Last week, there was a two-thirds majority in favour of keeping the western extension of the congestion charge zone in a vote taken at the Mayor's People's Question Time in Brixton. Boris Johnson was attempting to answer awkward questions on his plans to increase bus fares while reducing the congestion charge zone. 

The result of the poll was reported by Val Shawcross, deputy chair of the GLA Transport Committee, speaking at the meeting of Campaign for Better Transport's London Group the following evening. She had chaired the People’s Question Time the night before.

The vote is significant. According to Val Shawcross around 1500 people attended the Question Time. They voted electronically and the result was calculated automatically. Many authoritative opinion polls have a sample of only about 1000. This may give Boris further pause for thought.

Londoners have a chance to tell Boris what they think of his plans for transport in London - you can tell him what you think of plans to cut the congestion zone and increase fares at our take action page.

13 November: How would your party reduce transport’s carbon footprint? That’s the question we have challenged each of the three main political parties to answer in a series of speeches we're hosting.

On 19 November we are hosting an important speech by Andrew Adonis the Transport Secretary. He'll outline Government plans for reducing carbon from transport and introduce a new low–carbon industrial strategy for transport, to an audience of key decision makers from the transport and environment worlds.

6 November: Today, the Government has recognised what we’ve been saying for years: car use needs to be reduced. Today it launched a campaign encouraging people to drive five miles less each week.   

This serious Government-sponsored campaign marks a big change. Up to now, the Department for Transport has put its faith in green vehicles to cut carbon, so the fact they’ve listened to us and are now looking to cut traffic and help people to change their behaviour is welcome. However, five miles a week is not enough if transport is to play its part in tackling climate change.

Plus, a reduction won’t happen at all if the Government doesn't follow up this campaign with programmes so people can actually cut their car dependency – such as lower fares, lower speeds and investment in public transport and cycling. It can be done. The sustainable travel towns and cycling demonstration towns have shown that given the right information and support, people will cut their car use and switch to alternatives.  

3 November: The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit today published a long awaited report on transport in urban areas. The report sets out a vision for transport but shows how much more is needed for Britain’s cities to catch up with European counterparts to improve both public transport and conditions for walking and cycling.

The report sets out how important a good transport system is for the health and quality of life of people living in towns and cities, and how desperately we need to have city leadership to bring together in one place powers on transport, planning and highways.

But neither central government nor local councils seem to be able to find a way to make this happen. The Department for Transport in their response to the report blame local councils for not coming up with proposals.

But local councils face a difficult task in the best way forward through an increasingly complex structure of passenger transport executives, integrated transport authorities, multi-area agreements, economic prosperity boards and combined authorities.

From our perspective, we’re calling on Government to challenge local authorities more strongly to improve transport in our towns and cities and in our response to the Government's consultation on local democracy we called city-wide local transport authorities to be equiped with the powers, funding and capability to really make a difference on transport.

29 September: I'm just back in the office after a few days at the Labour conference (we'll also be at the Conservative conference next week) and also from our successful training day for local campaigners at the weekend.

Both of these are really important in helping get change to deliver better transport. At the weekend, our local campaigners were inspired by Cllr Shona Johnstone giving us really positive examples of improving transport in Cambridgeshire, and by Victoria Harvey talking about the difference local campaigning can make. 

And this week in Brighton saw the other side of our campaigning with Stephen Joseph and me talking directly to ministers and their advisers. Transport Minister Sadiq Khan spoke at our fringe meeting and set out his commitment to continued investment in the Crossrail project and to helping local councils to use the powers in the Local Transport Act that we helped bring about.

But it's clear from meeting with Labour politicians over the past couple of days that we need a stronger message to them (and the other parties) on the price of public transport.

14 September: We've launched today our Car Dependency Scorecard, showing for the first time how much each region is dependent on using the car to get around. The scorecard ranks each region by a range of measures, including whether people have shops and services nearby that they can walk or cycle to and whether there's good and affordable public transport.

Each region has its strength and weaknesses, but the report highlights how much more work is needed by central and local government to really tackle transport and enable people to have real choices in transport. Significantly, the North West tops our table of regions with high levels of investment in public transport, while bottom of our regions is the West Midlands with poor access to shops and services within walking distance, and new housing developments tending to be more sprawling, making walking, cycling and public transport less viable.

The car dependency scorecard shows what is needed in each region to tackle our dependency on the car. We'll be looking to see whether central and local government are serious about investing in good public transport and improving the planning of the places we live - having to use the car simply doesn't give people the chance to make a green choice in transport.

26 August 2009: Campaign for Better Transport is working with our partners at Friends of the Earth, CTC, CPRE and Sustrans to run two training days for local campaigners who want to improve transport in their local area.
 
The two days will be on:

• 19 September - Manchester : 10am-4.30pm
• 26 September - London : 10am-4.30pm

 
We’re aiming to give you an insight into how the development of the next round of local transport plans (which have to be produced by 2011) but the main focus of the day will be skills workshops - where you'll be able to share your experiences of local campaigning and explore the most effective ways of influencing your local authority.

There'll also be plenty of opportunities for networking and talking to staff and local activists.

The events are free but places are limited so you’ll need to book your place by going to the Friends of the Earth website.

5 August: I can't believe Boris wants to give 'greener' petrol and diesel cars an exemption from the Congestion Charge. We need less traffic in London, not more cars on our streets.

Transport for London has decided to review the Congestion Charge exemptions, because it thinks that low-emission vehicles should be let in for free. Hybrids are already exempted. But all cars cause congestion, even if they're greener than average.

Boris knows all this, of course. He objected to Ken's proposal to increase the charge for the most polluting vehicles but give the least polluting an exemption, saying that "the proposal would actually have made congestion worse by allowing thousands of small cars in for free."

We know people are affected by traffic, because we've been asking for your experiences, and getting some great feedback, which we'll use to convince the Government - and London's Mayor - to take action. We've outlined our solutions to London's traffic in our response to the Boris's London Plan.

31 July: Nottingham City Council today announced approval from the Department for Transport for its tram extension and for the workplace parking levy. It's been criticised by some motoring groups as unfair, but what do we think of the idea?

Well, we think that it's a pretty smart and targeted approach to tackling congestion in the City of Nottingham, where congestion levels are rising faster than in similar cities. About eight out of ten employers won't have to pay the charge as they have ten or less parking spaces (and there are exemptions for disabled parking, customer and visitor parking and loading, as well as for the health service and emergency vehicles). Those larger companies that will have to pay will be better able to plan ahead or absorb any costs, and will be able to provide support and information for their staff on alternatives (for instance through travel plans which on average cut the number of commuter journeys by car by 18%).

The levy will also start in two years time when the economy should be recovering, and by which time work will have started on the specific transport improvements that the money raised will help to pay for.

So should other councils follow suit? Well, we support Nottingham's use of the levy because of their particular problems of congestion and because they have a clear programme of public transport improvements. Other councils should only be using this if there's a clear peak time congestion problem and where they can be clear and transparent about using the money raised to give people real transport choices. We also think it's worth looking at discounts for those firms that have a good travel plan already in place and where they are working to encourage and enable staff to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work.

16 July: I've just finished reading the Government's guide for local councils on how they should produce new local transport plans, which was published this morning. The new round of these plans should help give people real transport choices in the places where they live and work, but it's unclear what Government expects the plans to achieve.

The guidance reflects moves away from centralised control and for local councils to be "accountable to their communities rather than to the Department". As such, the Department for Transport is largely leaving it to local councils to decide what their plans look like, and what impact they might have. That's all very well, but there is little accountability for local transport policy, and people lack information on how their local council is performing on transport compared to others. And local councils still lack powers to raise income to support better transport.

We also think that much more could be done to support local councils on more sustainable transport schemes. We're pleased that yesterday's carbon reduction strategy for transport included a commitment to produce guidance on ways for local authorities to reduce CO2 through sustainable transport measures by this Autumn. But we'll be telling the Department's officials when we meet then in a couple of weeks time that much more is needed.

16 July: The eco-town sites most criticized by us and our supporters as unsustainable in transport terms, notably Weston Otmoor, Arundel and Middle Quinton, have been scrapped today, and there has been a greater emphasis on making sure those that go ahead have good rail links and local authority support. But the sustainability of the new eco-towns is all down to the detail on transport provision:

• Northwest Bicester: We welcome this, but a Bicester eco-quarter will be challenging and will need good links to the rail station
• Rackheath, Norfolk: Potentially OK as an eco-town/eco-quarter, served by rail (and with railfreight potential too), but is being linked by the county council with a new road. With this road, it would be utterly unsustainable; without it, it might work
• China Clay community scheme near St Austell, Cornwall: Sustainability in transport terms depends on detailed design and location
• Whitehill Bordon, Hampshire: While not on a railway, it could easily be and there should be a feasibility study on reopening the rail line as part of a new eco-town

Eco-town principles should be extended to “eco-quarters” within existing towns - and we're pleased that today's announcment seems to reflect that. New developments within existing urban areas will often be easier to serve by public transport than stand-alone eco-towns, and eco-quarters could also set a wider example to be followed. If the Government gets them right, the eco-towns and eco-quarters can be used to show that new development can come with low car use and hence less traffic in surrounding roads.

14 July: We've just responded today to the Government's consultation on its road safety strategy, and told them that safer streets and roads are vital to both cut deaths and cut carbon.

The UK's record overall on road safety is good, but we've a poor record on the numbers of cyclists and pedestrians who are killed or seriously injured compared with most European countries. We're calling on the Government to move to a default speed limit of 20mph in residential areas and other streets like high streets. This would save many more lives - research from London estimates that 20mph zones reduce the number killed or seriously injured by over half. And the Department for Transport estimates that reducing the speed limit on single carriageway rural roads to 50mph would save 250 lives a year, and save 1,000 serious injuries.

But lowering the speed limit would also help us to reduce the carbon impact of transport by making people feel much safer when walking or cycling. I know from talking to many communities across the country that they want to cut speed on the streets where they live - now it's up to the Government to listen to them when it publishes its final strategy in the autumn.

2 July: Boris Johnson is running out of time. Consultation on changes to the London Plan (PDF 46K) has just finished and he's still trying to please everyone, pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and motorists alike.

But signs about what will be in the plan itself and in the Mayor's transport strategy are ominous. Boris has not yet recognised that traffic volumes have to go down to tackle carbon emissions. Meanwhile he's considering relaxing restrictions on new roads and allowing more parking because he claims it will help town centres. In the autumn he'll have to reveal his real plans when the draft strategies are published.

Campaign for Better Transport has told the Mayor that carbon emissions from transport will have to be cut and that planning for traffic avoidance and reduction is essential to do this.

30 June: The Government published its "national plan" yesterday (Monday 29 June) setting out its plans for legislation and a range of commitments to tackle long-term problems. Building Britain's Future has welcome commitments to publishing a national cycle plan and an active travel strategy to be launched in the autumn. It also reaffirmed a commitment to improving further rail and buses' advantage over cars and planes when it comes to CO2 emissions, through plans for more electrification of the railways and incentives for low-carbon buses.

But the plan also sets out how the Government will continue to spend billions on roads and the Department for Transport is about to decide on regional funding bids which include almost £4bn for new roads. If Ministers accept these bids and continue to widen motorways, then cycling, public transport and active travel will continue to be undermined and starved of the funds needed.

We're callling on Lord Adonis to commit to building a low-carbon transport future for Britain and not to accept spending scarce public spending on yet more road building.

23 June: For the past couple of years, Campaign for Better Transport has been working with a range of other environmental organisations to make sure that changes to the planning system won't shut people out from decisions on new roads, airports and power stations.

A particular concern has been the creation of a new Infrasructure Planning Commission to speed up decisions on major infrastructure like power stations, airports and major roads. The Government have just consulted on some of the regulations for the new Commission, and on how local authorities and others should consult local communities on proposals for big infrastructure.

Our response sets out why we think the proposed guidance doesn't go far enough in giving a voice to local communities.

27 May: We're holding a workshop in June to help councils create good local transport plans. The workshop is the latest in a series of events over the year to help councils develop transport policies that result in better communities. The event is sponsored by the Department for Transport and features a speech by Paul Clark, the local transport minister.

We're holding these events in partnership with the Local Government Information Unit. Sign up today or find out more on the information unit's website. [Editor's note: these events are now closed.]

27 May: We’ve just told the London mayor how he could improve the suburbs.  With the London Cycling Campaign and Living Streets, we submitted evidence to the mayor’s Outer London Commission, which is considering the specific needs of the suburbs.

Our recommendations for creating sustainable suburbs (pdf) – which also apply outside London – include low-cost measures to make better use of the public transport network, emphasising the role of neighbourhood centres which people can reach on foot and by bike, and taking various steps to make walking and cycling more convenient than travel by car.

This commission is important. Most travel in London is done in outer London and most of it is done by car. If transport in London is going to change substantially, travel in outer London will have to change first. Let’s hope the commission understands that.

1 May: Boris Johnson may be celebrating a year in office but are Londoners celebrating too?

On the plus side, he has cancelled the Thames Gateway Road Bridge and opposed the expansion of Heathrow and is promoting a new bike hire scheme. But he has also withdrawn the £25 congestion charge for gas guzzlers, abolished the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge Zone and decided not to go ahead with the third phase of the Low Emission Zone.

The real test of whether Boris is serious about transport in London will be what he says in his transport strategy later this year. In the meantime, he has just set out his initial ideas for what should go in the London Plan, (Editor's note: document updated in October 2009) which sets the planning framework for London and how the city will develop over the next 20 years. My colleague Richard Bourn will be telling him that the plan needs to be effective at reducing the need to travel, and supporting alternatives to the car.

24 April: Ever since the concept of eco-towns was first announced by the Government, we’ve been concerned that they would become car-dependent commuter towns. We’ve just responded to the draft planning policy guidance which would do little to encourage or enable people to use their cars less.

As they’re currently envisaged, eco-towns will be islands of traffic-generating development in the middle of the countryside. Campaign for Better Transport and other groups have told the Government how to change its eco-town policy to create communities that are sustainable in transport as in other respects. In particular, we’re calling for eco-towns to be adjacent to, if not actually within, existing urban centres and for them to be connected to by rail and not just by bus. You can read what we’ve got to say on the guidance.

9 April: I just finished telling the Government how I thought it should help local councils to create good transport plans.

Local decisions matter. Although central Government determines much of our transport system, local councils are able do things like improve bus services, tackle traffic and make it easier for journeys to be made by walking and cycling.

The councils put together local transport plans and are about to create plans to cover 2011-2016. The Government gives the councils guidance – I’ve just responded to that draft guidance.

Our work will continue, of course. We’ve arranged meetings with the Department for Transport and local government about how to help local councils create strong sustainable transport plans -- particularly important because, with an increasing emphasis on localism, local councils will be given much more freedom to set their own priorities and plans for delivery.