Campaigners respond to calls to pave over railways
3 February 2015
Campaign for Better Transport has responded to a report by the Institute of Economic Affairs which calls for railways to be replaced with bus routes.
Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive, Campaign for BEtter Transport said
“The IEA’s report is based on fantasy numbers and bears almost no relation to the real world. Turning popular and well-used commuter railways to busways simply would not result in the claimed economies or cuts in fares. What it would do is jam up London and other cities while adding greatly to noise and air pollution – problems the report largely ignores against all recent scientific research.
“None of arguements in this re-heated old plan offers any real answers to the transport issues we face. The railways are rightly seen as part of the solution to these problems. It’s inconceivable that politicians from any party would take the IEA’s report seriously.”
Notes
1. The Institute of Economic Affairs published Paving over the tracks: A better use of Britain’s railways? on 3 February 2015.
