The war on motorists: Myth or reality?

Article

This paper addresses the perception that there is a 'war' being waged on motoring: that government is using motorists as a 'cash cow' and that spending on roads and transport is failing to keep pace with increases in transport-related tax.

It sets out the costs of motoring both to individual drivers and to the public purse, compared to the cost of living and the costs of alternative transport modes, and it considers whether there are justifiable reasons for increased taxes on motoring.

Concluding that the so-called 'war on motoring' is a myth, and that private motoring costs have risen less than the general cost of living over the past 20 years, the paper makes five recommendations for a government response.

  1. Government should make every effort to avoid further delays in fuel duty increases.
  2. New ways should be found to reduce the non-motoring costs - the externalities - caused by road traffic.
  3. Government should make a clear statement of the importance of encouraging modal shifts away from driving and towards more sustainable forms of transport, such as walking, cycling and public transport.
  4. Improvements in public transport, walking and cycling facilities should be supported through an increase in government support for transport capital projects.
  5. Government should update its account of the wider costs of transport, including all externalities and incorporating new estimates and research.

Related items

  1. Doctor with patient for consultation, medical advice or procedure at clinic

    Taken to heart: Inequalities in heart disease in Scotland

    More than 7.6 million people across the UK live with cardiovascular disease (CVD), around twice as many as live with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer combined. 
  2. A beautiful sunset in the Scottish highlands with renewable energy wind turbines far into the horizon

    Skills passports: An essential part of a fair transition

    This month, government will publish its Clean Energy Workforce Strategy. This plan covers two aims. First, filling the growing demand for skills in clean energy industries is essential to keep on track to reach the government’s clean power…
  3. The Bank of England is watched over by a statue of the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse

    Fixing the leak: How to end the £22 billion annual taxpayer losses at the Bank of England

    The Bank of England increased its interest rates over recent years, aimed at reducing inflation. But this has also had an unintended effect on the Bank of England’s massive government bond buying – ‘quantitative easing’ – programme.