Overview

We all use some form of transport almost every day of our lives. It is one of the most important factors in determining the economic wellbeing of a town or city. And it is also one of the major sources of environmental damage to our planet. Yet, Britain has never had a coherent transport policy. Transport ministers are regarded as insignificant compared with their colleagues in other ministries. Successive governments have failed to get to grips with the twin challenge of getting people around cheaply and safely while safeguarding the environment. In this entertaining polemic, Christian Wolmar, a former national newspaper journalist who has written about transport for over two decades, explains why politicians have never got to grips with the issue, sets out the problems this has caused and points to a few rational solutions.

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9781907994562

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Reviews

'This book is an entertaining and knowledgeable explanation of why British transport policy is a mess. It's also a clarion call for change: for better public transport, for proper funding of cycle networks, and for a system of road pricing to make it all work. It should be required reading for any transport minister.' Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive, Campaign for Better Transport; 'Christian Wolmar's persuasive and detailed critique of decades of transport policy blunders in Britain should be essential - if grim - reading for every incoming minister at Whitehall's Cinderella department.' Jonathan Prynn, former Transport Correspondent for The Times and current Consumer Business Editor of The Evening Standard; 'This splendid book captures the intellectual bankruptcy of British transport policy with wit, good humour, sound evidence and powerful insight. Any nation that can keep building new roads with the stated intention of creating jobs or reducing congestion, when all the evidence shows that this is a forlorn hope, has lost the plot - and if there is a stage beyond losing the plot, Wolmar shows that this is HS2. Wolmar provides a rich and enjoyable analysis of the strange world of British transport policy and shows what we have to do to get it right. For that he should be congratulated.'John Whitelegg, Research Associate, Stockholm Environment Institute

Author Information

Christian Wolmar is an award winning writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history.

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