Alliance against road building

PRESS RELEASE - 10 November 2005

CO2 CUTS FROM GREENER FUELS WILL BE WIPED OUT BY TRAFFIC INCREASES

Although Road Block welcomes the announcement today by Alistair Darling of a Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (1), the alliance against road building pointed out that on the same day government traffic figures were released that show that traffic is still rising (2) that could wipe these CO2 gains.

Whilst the RTFO could mean that by 2010 five per cent of fuel could come from renewable sources, traffic is growing by an average of two per cent a year, which would offset any gains made from renewable fuels.

Rebecca Lush of Road Block said:

"The government is failing to tackle year on year traffic growth, which is responsible for soaring CO2 emissions. Although renewable fuels and fuel efficiency are part of the battle against climate change, the key to bringing down emissions is to reduce traffic. Instead we have a government that is catering for more traffic growth by building up a roads programme of over 200 roads schemes, wasting billions of pounds of our money, and heading us in the opposite direction needed to solve climate chaos."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

(1) DARLING TAKES ACTION TO MAKE TRANSPORT FUELS GREENER. DfT Press Release, 10 November, 2005
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2005_0116

(2) ROAD TRAFFIC IN GREAT BRITAIN - QUARTER 3 2005. DfT Press Release, 10 November 2005
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2005_0114
Traffic has increased by nearly 1% in this quarter.

Since 1997 traffic has increased by an average of 2% a year.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/displaypn.cgi?pn_id=2005_0011