No new fossil-fuel powered vehicles may be sold in the UK after 2029.
We will incentivise taxi companies to buy taxis with lower carbon emissions and none, via tax reductions on the company profits, scaled in a bracket system that takes business size, current carbon output, the carbon reductions made within the year, and the starting point when the entering the scheme into account when calculating the tax reduction. We will gather this data via mandating monthly inventory and accounts logging for businesses that enter the scheme, and by conducting random checks on the various businesses. This scheme would not be mandatory for business to enter into, but would allow them to openly publicize that they had joined the scheme as a means of marketing their business.
As Vehicle Excise Duty is associated with vehicle emissions, it seems fairer to tax the fuel directly. VED should be scrapped, and fuel duty increased to cover the reduction in income. Overall, the tax levied should be lower, due to the removal of the need to administer VED, though the tax will fall more heavily on those who use more fuel, and thus create more carbon emissions.
Network Rail, the Highways Agency, train operating companies and bus operating companies would all be required to become National Infrastructure Organisations (NIOs) under a policy to ensure that infrastructure which is essential to a functioning society is not solely operated for the benefit of private shareholders, but in the national interest.
Until the aviation industry is carbon neutral, there will be no further expansions (such as new runways or terminals) of any UK airports, and capacity shall be capped at roughly current levels.
We believe that other technologies and solutions exist that are able to better serve transport authorities in carrying out their responsibility in the interests of airport and national security.
Commit to investing in cycling infrastructure: dedicated and separate lanes; secure parking; making traffic junctions “cycle-safe”; encouraging shared use of pavements and paths where dedicated lanes are not feasible.
Put in place clear and simple standards to cover cycle lane design, signage, continuity and traffic signals. Extend existing transport planning requirements to always include these new cycling standards.
Put in place a program to bring existing roads up to these new standards.
Consult with leading cycle planning countries on setting down these standards.
Through a series of targeted marketing campaigns and PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) we would encourage carpooling, especially for parents and those on the same street with a shared workplace, or workplaces in reasonable walking distance of each other.
Ridesharing would be promoted through The Job Center for those on low or no workplace income and would utilise ridesharing services such as (but not limited to, and purely for example) Uber, as a means of proof for bringing unemployed people into the taxiing profession and as a way to encourage self-employment.
As part of this push, MPs localised near each other would be encouraged to carpool around and on the way to parliament, which would double as a method to encourage cross-party conversation and out-of-parliament policy deliberation.
Work with automobile manufacturers to establish ways of providing infrastructure to support driverless vehicles.
Encourage automobile manufacturers to agree upon an open and non-proprietary standard for wireless automated vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication to improve road safety by reducing both congestion and collisions.
Incentivise existing fuelling stations to install charging units for electric vehicles to help create a nationwide network and overcome the perception of “range anxiety” amongst consumers.
Incentivise existing fuelling stations to install hydrogen fuel pumps.
Incentivise research into retrospective modifications to existing vehicles allowing them to run on hydrogen. This would facilitate an easier transition from our dependency on fossil fuels, and encourage the development of new hydrogen based vehicle (which doesn’t have the same carbon footprint as the manufacture of lithium ion batteries.)
As the number of electric cars increases, an increasing amount of battery storage ends up being connected to the National Grid. This storage can be used to supply power back into the grid when it’s under heavy load, and store up power when there is excess generation capacity. We will incentivise electric car owners who allow their cars to be used as dynamic storage batteries for the grid, and help smooth out variable demand.
Develop a long-term plan for complete electrification of the national rail network, and the replacement of diesel trains with electric multiple-units. This has the benefit of reduced emissions, improved efficiency, quieter and more comfortable trains. Alongside electrification, signalling should be updated to ETCS level 2 or 3 standard for improved safety and efficiency.
Investigate feasibility of building a high speed rail network that connects our ten largest cities (and Cardiff also) to the European high speed network via HS1.
Examine which areas of the United Kingdom were most detrimentally affected by the changes in the Beeching Reports, and whether it would be economically feasible to bring back any formerly established railways.
Promote efficient use of road space in towns and cities by allocating road space to bus lanes, encouraging the creation of a network of frequent bus routes.
The OpenPolitics Manifesto