RAC: 'Golden opportunity' for Secretary of State for Transport to deliver for motorists

Following the re-appointment of the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP as ​ Secretary of State for Transport, RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: ​ “There is now a golden opportunity for the Transport Secretary to ​ oversee the delivery of the commitments included in the Road Investment ​ Strategy and in his party’s manifesto.

​ “The UK’s motorists, who are among the most heavily taxed in Europe, ​ can look forward to benefiting from the boldest investment plan in a ​ generation for England’s strategic roads which will tackle some of the ​ nation’s worst bottlenecks and congestion pinch points.

​ “But the political foot must not be taken off the gas – there are a ​ number of pressing issues that the Transport Secretary must now get to ​ grips with such as ensuring the UK’s pothole crisis is finally resolved ​ with equally imaginative plans to tackle the maintenance backlog on ​ local roads and examining the contribution that the whole transport ​ sector can make to improving air quality.

​ “On road safety, we call on him to consider reintroducing casualty ​ reduction targets. Such targets have proven effective in the past, and ​ with the number of children killed or seriously injured on our roads up ​ for the first time in 20 years, now is the time for action to be taken. ​ We also call on him to publish the green paper on young drivers, ​ something that was mooted in the previous parliament but never saw the ​ light of day.

​ “Finally, motoring taxation is likely to come under renewed scrutiny. ​ Motorists and businesses are both looking for, as a minimum, ​ continuation of the fuel duty freeze. Whilst the Treasury is likely to ​ have the final say, we hope the Transport Secretary will continue to ​ stand up for motorists and encourage a common sense approach by the ​ Chancellor of the Exchequer.”

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The RAC Media Centre provides journalists and news outlets with the latest motoring-related news, comment, data and research.

The RAC is an iconic UK brand, and provides complete peace of mind to 15 million UK private and business drivers - whatever their motoring needs. As well as its premium nationwide breakdown assistance service – with an expert branded patrol workforce attending more than two million breakdowns every year – and European breakdown assistance products, it offers a wide range of market-leading products across insurance, legal services, vehicle inspections and service, maintenance and repair. Included in this is the first-of-its-kind nationwide Mobile Mechanics service which brings the garage to homes and workplaces. 

At the forefront of new solutions for business fleets and consumers, the RAC’s breakdown service is electric-ready with mobile EV charging technology and be called on using myRAC – its all-in-one route planner, fuel finder and breakdown reporting app

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