Transport
Transport policy in the UK has become a free for all. A lack of strategic planning and a dogmatic focus on privatisation has led to spiralling costs and a rail transport system that takes more in subsidy than British Rail ever did. Motorists contribute nearly £40bn per year in motoring related taxes, the vast majority of which plays no part in maintaining our road network.
As our economic situation improves, British Independents will seek to ring-fence a growing proportion of motoring related taxation for reinvestment in the transport infrastructure. We will encourage the use of new technology to remove the requirement for heavy, tax subsidised buses to rumble around our streets without passengers for a large proportion of the time. The technology exists to allow smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles to be available on demand for prescribed routes during non-peak times.
We would introduce a national 20 mph speed limit for dense residential areas and an absolute right of way for pedestrians and cyclists in those same areas. We would increase the motorway maximum speed limit to 80mph within a variable speed limit framework.
British Independents will return the railways to public ownership and reinvest profits to expand our conventional railways. We will scrap HS2 and HS3 which are yesterday's solution to yesterday's problem. We would move to change the UK's culture so that more business meetings are conducted using video conferencing technology.
One of the keys to improving transport in the UK is to control our borders. If three million more are allowed to come to the UK, no one should be at all surprised when there is a consequential impact on our transport capacity. Our policy of leaving the EU and putting in place proper border controls will have a significant impact on all of the UK's infrastructure, including transport.