Kevin Buchanan, group MD at Pall-Ex, on what the new government needs to do for road transport. Right now.
We have certainly seen a renewed confidence in the market thanks to the continuity provided by a Tory win.
The focus of economic recovery can now continue, but we do need greater investment in transport infrastructure to keep Britain moving. That must include quicker improvements to the roads and rail network.
The HGV levy, introduced in 2014, has been a great success, raising more than £17 million from foreign lorries to invest back into our road networks. But, there is still work to do.
This government needs to be firm on European drivers. Under the current system, drivers from across the continent use our roads for free, do not pay tax, and do not always buy fuel. Taking a tougher, fairer stance on this should lead to lower fuel duty costs.
Since the HGV levy has been in place, it has resulted in charges imposed on over 112,000 vehicles from 76 countries – enough to repair 320,000 potholes across the UK.
Though we anticipate that HS2 will be high on the agenda for the Tory government, the reality is our existing road networks should be a priority too.
We’d like to see a balanced transport strategy that takes into account all types of infrastructure, rather than an inclination to invest all efforts into one centralised mode of transport.
With the confirmation that Patrick McLoughlin will remain transport secretary, that means he is likely to be one of the most long-serving people in that position. What we need is someone who is unafraid to tackle tough issues like these to ensure infrastructure that is fit for purpose across the UK.