From Richard Iles FCIT FILT, International Transport Consultant.
General Comments
Safety
Subsidy
Taxi transport
Strategic Transport Authority
Large Goods Vehicles costs
Commercialising Roads

Dear Nigel

I have now had a chance to read your work.

I found it most interesting, and am fully in agreement with virtually  everything you say.

Your comments on safety, and the different standards applicable to different modes, are very interesting. I thought after the Hatfield rail crash, if four car passengers had been killed because their car overturned after hitting a pothole, would they impose speed restrictions on every road in the country, and close some of them altogether, until they had checked every inch of road and effected repairs where necessary?
Top
Your idea of a transport subsidy paid direct to the user obviously has its merits, but the recipients will be able to choose whether or not they spend this money on transport - so in effect this is more of an income supplement for those with lower incomes. By calling it specifically a transport subsidy you are in a way influencing consumers' choice.

(Nigel  replies,  that by no longer subsidising the suppliers of transport the Treasury will save a vast amount of money and I believe it is right to return this to the public. How this money is distributed is a matter of political judgement - most obviously is to reduce taxes - However to get public acceptance of the large increase in transport price at point of use I believe they need to be told the money they are getting back is former transport subsidy)
Top
You don't say anything  about taxis. This is one form of public transport which can provide door to door transport, and although in most respects its costs are similar to those of private transport, there is a lot of potential. For example shared taxis are a common form of public transport in many parts of  the world, bridging the gap between cars and buses. Also, I think if people used taxis more, they would not need to own cars, and therefore for every  journey they would have to decide between bus, train, taxi etc, and in most cases would probably choose one of the mass transport modes. So I think the taxi concept is one worth pursuing.

(Nigel replies, I wholeheartedly agree would you like to write a web page to link to this site?)
Top
I quite like the idea of a Strategic Transport Authority. I don't think it should be necessary for the STA to get involved with details like ticketing, as when operators make supplementary charges or issue exchange tickets; this is more of a "clearing house" operation which should be dealt with by an operators' association, rather like IATA or ATOC

Surely 60% of adults don't have access to a car all the time - most share with a spouse or partner. This in fact strengthens your argument.

(2.1.2): LGVs also require much higher initial road construction costs - stronger surfaces, stronger bridges with more clearance, etc. A much cheaper road could be built if it was only to be used by cars.
Top
Like all "ideal" models, like "perfect competition" so beloved of economists, your proposals seem to be the answer to all our ills. To a very large extent  they are. The problem is getting it to work, and getting all the conditions right to enable it to work. You mention one of the problems when you talk of  the need to subsidise manufacturers so they can compete with those in other countries where transport is cheaper. Also, categorising the road network  would be a very difficult thing to get right, and there could be a lot of distortions as a result of misallocations - because roads are used for so many different purposes. But the principal is well worth pursuing, and would certainly be farbetter than what we have at the moment. The greatest problem is selling the idea in the first place, and I think you have put forward a very convincing argument. Your work is well worth persevering with, and with some polishing up here and there, could well be an important contribution to modern transport thinking and even policy. Well done!

(Nigel Replies, Thank you very much for your kind comments - Lets hope this can be the start of the debate that will eventually transform our transport and its impact on society)
Top

Back to Feedback Contents

Back  to Contents

Home