Transport future

There is much debate about the future of transport in this country. Reports for Government seem to look at limited investment in infrastructure combined with road charging. This approach will undoubtedly have an effect. The CSS Transport Future Group has been looking at what happens next. What happens once the benefits of charging have been realised? What are the key issues relating to road surface transport, the highway public realm and vehicle development? .

Where does CSS stand?

Published in February 2008, The CSS Travel Is Good report looks ahead to life as it will be in 2030. The study involved a series of select committee-style hearings at which evidence was given by leading transport experts.

The project was led for CSS by Edward Chorlton, Director of Environment, Economy and Culture with Devon County Council. He says: “We started from the premise that travel is good and that it enriches our lives. The pressures of an expanding population and economy mean that travel is often dire and we have to find ways to avoid it becoming greatly worse in the years ahead.” 

CSS President Richard Wills says that success can only be achieved by avoiding alienating the travelling public and recognising that travel is one of life’s joys. “The daily impact of traffic on our cities, towns and villages is of concern to many, but we are deeply attached to the freedom and opportunities offered by our cars,” he says. “These challenges require ambitious responses. All too often, however, a gloomy picture of restraint and diminishing choice has been painted as the only solution, which turns ordinary people away from serious consideration of the issues that face us.”

The report warns that, without imaginative solutions, cohesive leadership and sustained investment, we face a gridlocked and polluted existence. Global warming could also lead to our infrastructure crumbling in the face of extreme heat, floods and violent storms.