LibDems’ anti-road plans leave a massive pothole in Britain’s roads

Leading industry body the Freight Transport Association has labelled the Liberal Democrats’ recent pledge to cut almost £1 billion from the government’s road budget as ‘dangerous and naïve’.

The Liberal Democrats plan to wipe £980 milliion from the £1.2 billion that the Highways Agency has budgeted for major road projects in 2010/11, but have so far failed to say which projects are for the axe. FTA has learnt that the meagre remaining funds will be allocated as a priority to finishing part-built road schemes, presumably leaving very little in the coffers for vital road maintenance schemes.

LibDem leader Nick Clegg has claimed that this money could be earmarked to fund childcare and education. However, FTA argues that without a properly maintained road infrastructure in place, the very people that have been targeted to benefit from the proposal will actually be put at risk, as the road network falls into disrepair.

Jo Tanner of the Freight Transport Association said: “Nick Clegg’s pledge is built on some very shaky foundations. His plans grossly underestimate the importance of Britain’s roads in terms of road safety, our economy and our supply chain efficiency. Failure to invest in our roads will endanger all road users, including children on their way to school, and could have deadly consequences. There is clearly a pothole in Clegg’s thinking.”

The LibDem leader also seems at odds with his Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable, who recently called for more investment in construction to reduce unemployment rates.

Tanner concluded: “It is both dangerous and naive to ignore investment in key infrastructure projects and without it we risk being mired in road misery: not good for motorists and disastrous for business.”