Sustainable Investment
We want Scotland to be more efficient and more productive.
We need to recognise the economic benefits of sustainable transport in delivering a sustainable economy.
It's well known that walking, cycling and public transport are good for the environment - but Scotland is also missing out economically because of its over-reliance on unsustainable transport. If more people traveled on foot, by bike or by public transport, Scotland would have a significantly more productive workforce than it does now. Public transport is a very efficient way of carrying large numbers of people: cars carrying only one occupant are an inefficient use of valuable road space.
Our current transport system imposes massive costs on the economy. The rise of car commuting leads many people to waste hours each day sitting in traffic congestion. The decline in walking and cycling has been a major contributor to Scotland's horrendous record on obesity, placing a massive financial burden on our health service.
Most fundamentally, a move to a sustainable transport system would reduce our climate emissions and our dependence on imported oil. This will certainly help the environment, but would also help Scotland's economy.
The move to sustainable transport will require:
- Investment in the inter-city rail network
- The decoupling of economic growth from traffic levels. Policy on transport and the economy should be firmly fixed on breaking the link between economic activity and traffic levels.
- Better maintenance of existing infrastructure. All too often we see a focus on building new infrastructure when there is a failure to make the best use of what we’ve already got in place. Transport expenditure should focus on maintaining the current asset base.
- Diversion of funding from capital projects to revenue support. This will be necessary in order to see an uplift in quality of local bus services, or in delivering ‘Smarter Choices’ interventions e.g. workplace and school travel plans.
- A reform of transport appraisal. How we allocate transport expenditure needs to change, as health impacts and environmental impacts remain undervalued in transport appraisal.