Philip Hammond. Heard of him? Have a look at his picture. Unless he’s your MP, probably not. Yet he’s the man who has to implement the new Government’s transport plans. It would be nice if we did get to hear a lot from him, but I suspect – given the £160 billion debt and a plan to save £6 billion by Christmas – that we’re not going to.
Until the Queen’s Speech we don’t really know what Hammond’s plans will be, but it’s likely to be based on the Tory manifesto. That means moves towards a Fair Fuel Stabiliser, a mechanism which would cut tax on fuel when oil prices are high, and vice versa. There should be plans to stop the central funding for new fixed speed cameras, with more focus on alternative ways to make our roads safe. One specified initiative is the launch of new ‘drugalyser’ roadside testing technology.
The new PM has promised to crack down on over-running road works, introducing a ‘lane rental’ scheme on the busiest sections. That means utility companies pay a day-rate to dig up the tarmac, encouraging them to finish faster.
New legislation to tackle cowboy clampers should be on the way, plus ways to charge foreign lorries for using our roads.
Both the Cameron and Nick Clegg believe Britain can lead the world with electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid technology. They want to introduce incentives for power suppliers to establish a nationwide network of charging points. Time will tell how much of this stuff actually happens.
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