Campaign for Better Transport (UK)

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Campaign for Better Transport
Founded 1972 (as Transport 2000)
Area served United Kingdom
Focus Transport
Method Political advocacy
Website www.bettertransport.org

The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), formerly Transport 2000, is a UK advocacy group that promotes the provision of better bus and rail services within the UK, lobbies for supportive policies, and highlights the negative effects of a car-based transport system.[1] It draws together the views of a wide range of organisations including conservation and environmental groups, community groups and trade unions. It operates as the "Campaign for Better Transport Ltd", of which Michael Palin is the president, and as the "Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust" (a registered charity). Jenny Agutter, Steve Norris and Tracy Marchioness of Worcester are amongst the patrons.

Contents

[edit] History

Transport 2000 was formed in 1972 by railway workers' unions and environmental pressure groups as a reaction to a newspaper disclosure that one of the options in a report for the Department of the Environment was the possible closure of a large part of the rail network. The National Union of Railwaymen instigated a meeting with other concerned parties where they agreed to form Transport 2000 with 14 affiliated organisations, many of which are still associated with the organisation[2][3].

Michael Palin was appointed as chairman in 1986 and president in 1988[4] and Stephen Joseph as Executive Director in 1988. Joseph received an OBE for "services to transport and the environment" in 1996[5]. In September 2007 the organisation changed its name to Campaign for Better Transport.

[edit] Campaigns

Campaign for Better Transport states that it regularly features in the media on a national, regional and local level presenting the case for public transport,[6] and since its relaunch in 2007, has focused on work in three areas.

[edit] "Public transport" campaign

The organisation lobbies for improved bus and rail services, pointing out that many are unsatisfactory and do not offer a viable and attractive alternative to the car.[7] It offers a range of specific measures to improve buses[8] and trains[9].

[edit] "Traffic" campaign

It believes that too many people in the UK live in areas dominated by traffic; it is concerned by increasing levels of car ownership and use, which it believes will lead to increasingly an increasingly noisy, unsafe, unfriendly, unhealthy society[10]. It advocates for streets that prioritise people, initiatives that allow people to get around without cars, for lower speeds (mainly in builit-up areas), and to reduce the number of lorries on the roads[11].

[edit] "Climate change" campaign

Their Climate Change campaign[12], tackling growing emissions[13] from the UK transport sector.[14]. They are challenging the government's current road building programme[15] and aviation expansion.[16] This campaign is led by Rebecca Lush, a long term transport campaigner.

[edit] Supporters, sponsors and affiliates

CBT has a network of supporters and local groups across the country. Its income was £900,000 in 2006-2007, coming from charitable trusts, transport operators, transport authorities, trade unions and individual donors[17].

[edit] Sponsors of the limited company in 2006-2007

CBT acknowledges the following organisations as sponsors of its limited company:[17] ACIS, Arriva Passenger Services, ASLEF, Chiltern Railways, Ecology Building Society, EWS, Eurostar, First Group, Freightliner, Gloucestershire County Council, Go Ahead Group, Hertfordshire County Council, Lush Ltd, National Express Group, NedRailway, Network Rail, Nottinghamshire County Council, Passenger Transport Executive Group, Rail Freight Group, Railway Industry Association, Railway Forum, Reading Borough Council, RMT, Serco Integrated Transport, Stagecoach, Telford and Wrekin Borough Council, Transport for London, Transdev plc, TSSA and Unison and Unite-Amicus.

[edit] Sponsors of the charitable trust in 2006-2007

CBT acknowledges the following organisations as sponsors of its charitable trust:[17] Department for Transport, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Freshfield Foundation, George W Cadbury Charitable Trust, Gumby Corporation, Hillcote Trust, KeyMed Ltd, London Councils, Merseytravel, Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation, Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts and Steel Charitable Trust.

[edit] Affiliates

CBT lists the following organisations as affiliates:[4] Amicus, Association of Community Rail Partnerships, Bus Users UK, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, Civic Trust, Community Transport Association, Campaign for National Parks, Cycle Campaign Network, Cyclists Touring Club, Environmental Transport Association, Friends of the Earth, GMB, Light Rail Transit Association, Living Streets, National Council on Inland Transport, National Federation of Women’s Institutes, National Trust, Railfuture, Ramblers' Association, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, SERA, Sustrans, Town and Country Planning Association, Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, WWF-UK, UK Noise Association and Youth Hostels Association.

[edit] The Slower Speeds Initiative

Main article: Slower Speeds Initiative

In 1998, Transport 2000 launched the Slower Speeds Initiative as a coalition in favour of traffic calming and lower and stricter speed limits; it is ongoing as a project of Campaign for Better Transport and other groups, some of which are themselves affiliates of the CBT.

[edit] Controversies

[edit] CBT "is an industry lobby group"

The Campaign for Better Transport Trust is funded from a range of charitable trusts and transport authorites, with an income of £442,000 in 2006-2007. The Campaign for Better Transport Ltd is mainly funded by transport operators and authorities, with an income of £341,000 in 2006-2007[17]. The group has occasionally been criticised for this[18]

[edit] Disagreements with the ABD

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The CBT is often at loggerheads with the ABD, and has done so since the latter came into existence in 1992. In 1999 the ABD accused the organisation of having an "extremist" agenda by proposing a reduction in the motorway speed limit from 70 to 55 mph.

[edit] Michael Palin's frequent flying

In 2006 The Times reported that "Michael Palin is facing moves to oust him as president of a leading environmental group" because of his passion for long-distance air travel, calculating that he had flown more than a quarter of a million miles in the previous 17 years while making his six TV series. Although in them he tends to use local and traditional methods of transport, and since the article appeared he has recorded Michael Palin's New Europe with an emphasis on train travel, the series produced a notable carbon footprint due to the amount of behind-the-scenes flying. Palin agreed that he had been busy "polluting this environment on almost every conceivable form of carbon-emitting vehicle”. He also commented that his adventures reduced overall greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging people to remain on their sofas[19]. The organisation supported him saying "Michael Palin brings popular appeal, wisdom and a sense of proportion to the transport problems we as a society face today"[20] and he has remained president.

[edit] See also

[edit] Transport advocacy groups

[edit] Also from the UK

[edit] From other nations

[edit] Transport theory and approaches

[edit] Other

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Our views. Campaign for Better Transport.
  2. ^ The Campaign to save the Railway Network. Single or Return - the official history of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association. The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA).
  3. ^ "Big cuts in rail services urged in confidential report", The Times, 1972-10-09. 
  4. ^ a b Affiliates. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  5. ^ Stephen Joseph-Profile. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  6. ^ Facts and figures. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  7. ^ Public Transport. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  8. ^ Buses - What's needed. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  9. ^ Rail - What's needed. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  10. ^ Traffic reduction. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  11. ^ Traffic reduction - What's needed. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  12. ^ Rebecca Lush Blum-Profile. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  13. ^ Department for Transport failing on climate change (2006-08-02). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  14. ^ Climate Change. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  15. ^ Roads - What's needed. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  16. ^ Aviation - What's needed. Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  17. ^ a b c d Annual review.pdf (pdf). Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  18. ^ Funding leads to another. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  19. ^ Ben Webster (2006-01-14). Globetrotter Palin brought down to earth by eco-lobby. The Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  20. ^ Green group backs Palin on travel. BBC News (2006-01-26). Retrieved on 2008-01-11.