Putting the countryside back into transport policy

Transport is rarely out of the headlines. However the discussion is frequently on the inter-urban road or rail networks, congestion and big infrastructure. While important, CPRE believes many of the challenges facing the countryside are being overlooked. We would like to see the countryside put back into transport policy and we believe the following action by Government and local authorities is needed to better protect the countryside from transport trends.

Road traffic: a growing problem

While Ministers focus their sites on our congested motorways, rural communities have been experiencing year on year increases in traffic levels too. With some notable exceptions this doesn't lead to standstill congestion. But rather like a sponge, the countryside has been absorbing more and more traffic. The growth on the minor rural road network has been much faster than that on our already clogged main urban roads. And it is a trend that the Government thinks will continue (traffic grew a further 30% between 2000-2010 and it is forecast to do the same over the next decade). The volume of traffic is of course much smaller, yet the character of an area - its sense of place, tranquillity, and accessibility for those on foot - can change markedly well before you hit bumper to bumper conditions. These more subtle effects are being overlooked.

Reclaiming rural roads

It doesn't take a lot to turn a quiet country lane into a rat–run for motorists, or for a village to lose its distinctiveness as lorries thunder through. There is nothing subtle here. Nor about DfT statistics that reveal that 60% of reported fatalities occur on rural roads (a further 34 per cent occur on urban roads, with only 6 per cent of fatalities occuring on motorways). Important progress has been made in reducing the carnage on the roads overall, yet the number of fatalities on rural roads remains far too high.

Government is putting fuel on the fire

Government plans for road building and massive new housing development threaten to damage beautiful areas of countryside. But they also risk fuelling the growth in traffic, to such an extent that the Highways Agency has been expressing concern over the implications of house-building plans for the Trunk Road Network. Meanwhile Government proposals for massive airport expansion threaten the tranquillity of the countryside from overhead.

Managing traffic needs to be sensitive to the countryside

The rising volume of traffic on rural roads needs managing. We have seen the steady accumulation of road signs, markings and other street furniture. Each no doubt introduced with the best of intentions, such clutter can urbanise the character of the countryside. So we need mechanisms to remove lines and signs which are no longer necessary, and ensure the design of new measures are sensitive to the character of the surrounding countryside.

And we need to invest in alternatives

For some there will be no alternative to the car in rural areas. However, around 18% of rural households do not own a car. For them public transport can be a life-line. But at a time of concern over climate change and rising fuel prices, it can also reduce car dependency. Some areas have seen welcome improvements in transport provision, especially in relation to so-called 'demand responsive services'. But many rural public transport schemes are suffering the effects of uncertainty caused by insecure funding arrangements.

Record numbers of people are travelling on trains and the system is creaking under the strain. Fares are shooting up while the cost of driving goes down, creating a growing gap in affordability. Plans for a network of high speed lines have got the green signal, while smaller schemes that could unlock travel across the English regions seem to be stuck in a siding going nowhere.

Our vision is for a railway renaissance, including a big increase in passenger and freight as well as the length of the rail network itself. But this expansion must be planned carefully. Not just for it to remain affordable for the traveller and safeguard the countryside but also for it to tackle car dependence and rising carbon emissions.

Ten areas CPRE believes transport policy needs to address:

Rising traffic levels in the countryside

Uncertainty over future funding of rural public transport

The vulnerability of rural railways to closure

Tackling roadside clutter

New road building damaging important landscapes

Managing traffic in ways that don't divert traffic onto minor rural roads

Reviewing housing plans that threaten to generate lots more traffic

Making rural roads safer for everyone

Improving how transport policy reflects the diversity of the countryside

Reviewing the Government's airport expansion plans

Find Out More

Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign:

CPRE National Office policy on Transport