Transport is not a sexy issue for most politicians. After all, new infrastructure projects cost a great deal of money, local people and environmentalists are often upset during construction and after they are complete an ungrateful public will fill them to bursting point and then complain there is not enough capacity. And then the cycle starts again.
The problem for them is that transport also frequently comes in the top set of issues about which the public is most concerned so politicians cannot be seen to do nothing.
This is the sort of dilemma that leads to cynicism. The scheme for London’s trains known as Crossrail is now entering another stage of being manipulated for such non-constructive ends.
It is over a decade since Crossrail was first mooted. The project could have been completed by now. Sadly, instead of getting on with it, the government has consistently kicked it into the long grass, having spent nearly as much as the original projected budget on consultants and consultations to prolong the period before needing to make a decision.
As Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling had once lent his support to Crossrail. Now it looks like he is back-tracking once again, as the FT has reported, but the need remains and politicians must learn that the worst option is to not act at all. The rising price of land in London over the last ten years means that the property costs for Crossrail are already higher than the original budget and Londoners and others in the South East have still had no benefit from the scheme. With transport, inaction costs money. As the FT says today,
“Unhappy commuters aside, the state of British infrastructure is a real constraint on economic growth. France cites its sleek infrastructure – ranging from high-speed trains to cheap nuclear power – as one of the top attractions for foreign investors. By contrast, “Heathrow hassle” is proving a compelling reason for international executives to avoid London, and the CBI employers’ body cites infrastructure problems among its top concerns.”
There are not magic solutions to these transport problems. Their large scale means they are costly and some degree of public support remains a requirement of getting them built, particularly given the ongoing issues of the UK’s planning system which makes such projects massively more expensive here than elsewhere. Nor is this just a London issue. Wherever you go in the UK there are businesses and private individuals whose lives are prosperity are constrained by poor transport links of all kinds: road, rail, air and sea.
The UK desperately needs a coherent transport action plan to move us beyond an infrastructure that was laid out in Victorian times. This is a challenge that all major political parties should step forward bravely to meet. The public will thank them for it.
