FTA calls for investment and greater industry say

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called on Government to continue to invest in transport infrastructure despite the budget deficit or risk hampering the economic recovery.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, the CEO, Theo de Pencier underpinned the value of infrastructure investment and urged him to closely consider using industry-driven initiatives.

“As economic activity begins to grow so will levels of congestion and, with it, unreliability. Investment in transport schemes has been proven to yield very impressive returns, in some cases achieving ratios of £8 for every £1 spent by government,” said de Pencier.

The FTA pointed to the Eddington Transport Study for an indication of the scale of the challenge. It estimated that increasing congestion in England alone could leave a £25 billion hole in the coffers every year well into the 2020s. The FTA added that it was open to the use of private sector funding for transport infrastructure investment if reliance on the public purse will not be sufficient to keep the UK competitive in the world economy.

“Equally, industry's role in delivering a brighter future must not be undervalued. From accreditation to best practice delivery, from sensible self-regulation to administering testing and licence issues, there is much that FTA and others could do more cheaply and more efficiently than government,” concluded de Pencier.