Sunday, June 13, 2010
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The new coalition Government has promised to end the "war on motorists", as the new Transport Secretary seemed to make good on the promise made to Auto Express columnist Mike Rutherford that Prime Minister David Cameron will be a "friend of the motorist". New Department for Transport boss Phillip Hammond has confirmed the Government will follow up on Tory pro-motoring election pledges, promising to bring in a fuel price stabiliser, withdraw funding for new speed cameras and tackle dodgy clamping firms. And while tolls may be introduced on new roads, Hammond has ruled out road pricing for existing motorways. "Motoring has to get greener, but the car is not going to go away", the Transport Secretary said. Motoring groups reacted cautiously to Hammond's pledges. The AA fears Conservative and Liberal Democrat support for costly high-speed rail links could take funds from road maintenance. An AA spokesman said "Spending cuts could affect the highways budget. The nation voted for cuts, but there's already a backlog of maintenance work. We'll see more potholes and possibly serious safety issues". |
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