THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION
NORTH EASTERN BRANCH
Golden Jubilee lecture
AN ECONOMISTS SOLUTION TO THE UK TRANSPORT
PROBLEMS
PROFESSOR DAVID BEGG
DATE: 5 November 2002
TIME: 5.30 pm
VENUE: The Curtis Auditorium, Newcastle University
SYNOPSIS:
The UK does not compare well with the transport systems
of our European counterparts and has the worst congestion
and one of the highest public transport fare structures.
Professor Begg will seek to analyse the objectives of the
Government’s 10-Year Plan and review progress in relation
to meeting targets. He will argue that whilst it is a
necessary pre-requisite for the UK to develop a public
transport system that can rival the best in Europe, this
alone will not be enough to beat rising congestion.
He accepts the argument for some expansion in road
capacity but will outline why we cannot return to the
approach of predict and provide.
He will also raise concerns about the link between car
dependent lifestyles and obesity and the break-up of
communities.
Professor Begg is Chairman of the Commission for
Integrated Transport, which is an independent body
advising the Government on integrated transport policy
and monitors progress on delivering the 10-Year Plan. He
is also Director of the Centre of Transport Policy at the
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, as well as being a
non-Executive Director of the Strategic Rail Authority.
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