BALANCE BETWEEN MODES
41. The Automobile Association suggested that the
proposed scale of investment in rail in the Plan far outweighed
that in buses, cycling and walking, with little or no justification.
It also notes that this contrast is even greater when road and
rail are compared and that, while the case for improving the maintenance
of the rail network was clear, the upgrade programme remained
insufficiently justified.[73]
42. The impression given by the Plan is of an imbalanced
consideration of the problems and solutions of each mode of transport.
Eight pages are dedicated to the strategic road network, while
eight lines are set aside for powered two-wheelers; the description
of 'Park and Ride' sites is as long as the discussion on cycling
and walking combined.
CONCLUSION
43. The Plan is ill-balanced. The Plan
focusses on congestion at the expense of wider, but equally important
objectives such as safety and social inclusion. The revised Plan
must demonstrate that all its objectives have been treated with
sufficient care and analysis. It must also include a balanced
analysis of the role that each mode of transport can play in meeting
the Plan's targets and its wider objectives.
49 Particulate matter PM10. Back
50
Q343. Back
51
Q599. Back
52
Q486. Back
53
Q402. Back
54
Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan, p24. Back
55
Ibid., p62. Back
56
Ibid., p101. Back
57
Transport 2010: Background Analysis, p37. Back
58
Ibid, p6. The principal factors expected to lead to a fall in
the cost of motoring are falling oil prices and new car prices. Back
59
Q50. Back
60
Ibid. Back
61
TYP56, TYP42, TYP35, TYP26, TYP14. Back
62
Q343. Back
63
Q481. Back
64
Q482. Back
65
TYP42, Transport and social inclusion, South Yorkshire
PTE, Sheffield City Council and Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough Councils. Back
66
Q105. Back
67
Ibid. Back
68
Q686. Back
69
TYP28. Back
70
TYP28. Back
71
TYP35. Back
72
Q460. Back
73
TYP27. Back