FTA's warning to Whitehall
Cutting spending on transport infrastructure would be a huge mistake
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) believes it would be a “huge mistake” if the UK government decided to cut spending on infrastructure in its Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
The CSR,due to be published on 20 October, will outline plans to cut the UK’s record £155 billion (US$238bn) deficit.
The Department for Transport (DfT) must find savings of £3.4 billion to meet its 25% target.
Ahead of a meeting with Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond, the FTA has identified a series of road and rail schemes that if axed would slow economic recovery and make the UK’s haulage industry less competitive.
FTA CEO Theo de Pencier said: “As the fate of key road and rail projects hangs in the balance, we must make it clear that any short-term savings made by curtailing investment have to be weighed against the longer-term costs of increased congestion and unreliability in the supply chain – a matter made more pressing by expected rises in traffic levels.”
Congestion represents a huge cost to the UK economy. In 2025, it could cost freight and other road users in England alone £25 billion more than it did in 2003, according to the Eddington Transport Study.
De Pencier added: “Worryingly, those road and rail corridors likely to become congestion hot-spots due to greater freight growth over the next decade are already under the greatest strain. The need to make early headway on existing investment plans is obvious.”
The FTA said key roads in need of investment include: London to Kent Ports Corridor (M20); South Coast Ports to the Midlands (A34, M40); the M25, London to the West Midlands, North West and Scotland Corridor (M1, M6); The Trans-Pennine (M62, M180); and Haven Ports to Midlands (A14).
The CSR,due to be published on 20 October, will outline plans to cut the UK’s record £155 billion (US$238bn) deficit.
The Department for Transport (DfT) must find savings of £3.4 billion to meet its 25% target.
Ahead of a meeting with Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond, the FTA has identified a series of road and rail schemes that if axed would slow economic recovery and make the UK’s haulage industry less competitive.
FTA CEO Theo de Pencier said: “As the fate of key road and rail projects hangs in the balance, we must make it clear that any short-term savings made by curtailing investment have to be weighed against the longer-term costs of increased congestion and unreliability in the supply chain – a matter made more pressing by expected rises in traffic levels.”
Congestion represents a huge cost to the UK economy. In 2025, it could cost freight and other road users in England alone £25 billion more than it did in 2003, according to the Eddington Transport Study.
De Pencier added: “Worryingly, those road and rail corridors likely to become congestion hot-spots due to greater freight growth over the next decade are already under the greatest strain. The need to make early headway on existing investment plans is obvious.”
The FTA said key roads in need of investment include: London to Kent Ports Corridor (M20); South Coast Ports to the Midlands (A34, M40); the M25, London to the West Midlands, North West and Scotland Corridor (M1, M6); The Trans-Pennine (M62, M180); and Haven Ports to Midlands (A14).
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