Our view

Safer routes to school for young cyclists mean an ever increasing proportion of adult cyclists. Photo: © Sustrans

The Government should develop policies that reduce the number of car journeys people make, rather than try to increase transport capacity by building more roads. If there were fewer car journeys, we wouldn't need to sacrifice more of our countryside to road construction, and carbon dioxide emissions would fall. We need to improve our understanding of road-building outcomes, too, so that we can develop policies based on facts rather than predictions.

Reduce the need to travel
We need to plan for homes, businesses and transport together. Local authorities should require new housing developments to incorporate places of work, shops and schools, and improve access to these facilities in existing developments where possible. Our report, Back Together Again calls for decisions on transport and land use to be reunited to create better communities and fewer journeys.

Provide better public transport
We're using cars for very short trips – 61% of trips between 1 and 2 miles are by car. The Government should develop policies which encourage people to use other transport methods for short journeys. We need safe cycle lanes and a pleasant environment for walking, particularly for use over short distances. High quality public transport, nationally and locally, would help combat road congestion on journeys of all lengths. These measures will help to deliver vibrant, enjoyable neighbourhoods, a cleaner environment, transport systems that work and protection for our beautiful countryside.

Find out the facts, learn from past mistakes
Road-building schemes are fuelled by claims of the solutions they could bring. We need to know if these claims have any basis in reality. Our report Beyond Transport Infrastructure shows that, far from producing the benefits claimed, new roads fail to solve congestion problems and even generate traffic. They can have a devastating impact on the countryside, fuelling further development and eroding tranquillity.

Post-completion road evaluations need to be improved, to:

• Better measure the effect on landscape and residents beyond a road's immediate vicinity
• Study the actual effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions
• Analyse traffic growth to determine whether the new road is itself generating new traffic

The results must be widely available and used to influence road-building and policy decisions.

When a road project is promoted as being good for economic regeneration we must ensure that the claimed benefits are realistic. Economic Impact Reports are produced for many road projects and should be a key part of the decision-making process for new transport schemes.