Herts's transport signal goes to red

10.29.13am GMT Sun 5th Mar 2006

Malcolm pictured with confusing roadsigns. Time for a new direction on transport.

Liberal Democrats at County Hall won backing from the Conservative administration, but not from Labour, outlining recent failures in getting a fair deal for Hertfordshire's much needed transport improvements.

At a full meeting of the County Council, the Council agreed a LibDem motion seconded by local county councillor Malcolm Cowan, that showed:

• the government's withdrawal of supported borrowing from HCC for highways and transport spending, is already resulting in higher council tax bills;

• there was a recent government announcement of a further delay of at least 3 years on starts to the already overdue improvements to public transport in the west of the county - a new rail/bus/car interchange at Watford Junction and building of the Croxley rail link to link the Metropolitan Line into Watford Junction;

• the failure by government to provide funding for a by-pass on the A120 at Little Hadham, where major traffic queues are common throughout the day;

• the inflexibility in the government's Transport Innovation Fund - a congestion charge has to be introduced for money to be released - that makes it unlikely Hertfordshire will be able to derive any benefit from it;

• the continued delay over Thameslink2000, scheme to link up the rail line through WGC and Hatfield into the line to Gatwick and Brighton, where 2000 was supposed to be the completion date, not 10 years before the start date;

• the lack of any other government plans for improving the rail infrastructure in or near Herts;

• the failure of government to give Hertfordshire the bus licensing powers that are available in London, and hence lack of powers to improve bus services for our many residents who rely on them as a lifeline;

• the tacit approval for removing protected rail fares such as Savers and the recent adverse changes to the Network railcard and above-inflation rises in non-protected fares;

• in terms of air travel, the government failure to even levy tax on fuel, encouraging further growth in the most polluting of form of travel .

Despite public support from Conservative councillors for the improvements needed and the support for lobbying of central government, Labour county councillors voted against the proposal.

'I was very disappointed that we could not have all party support to get public transport improved in Hertfordshire. What an earth are Labour thinking of.? In the past there has been all party support for these schemes and more bus usage and I am staggered that instead Labour just wanted to support the government rather than stand up for Hertfordshire's needs' said Malcolm Cowan.