FTA slam Lib Dem policy

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has labelled the Liberal Democrats’ recent pledge to cut almost £1bn from the government’s road budget as “dangerous and naive”.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has labelled the Liberal Democrats’ recent pledge to cut almost £1bn from the government’s road budget as “dangerous and naive”.

The Liberal Democrats plan to wipe £980m from the £1.2bn 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.

Lib Dem 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 FTA 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.”