ELECTION 2015: Candidates explain how they'd get the south moving again

In recent weeks a string of incidents have brought gridlock to main roads and motorways across the county, with one tragically resulting in the death of a motorist.

The Daily Echo recently revealed calls from bosses at South West Trains for more funding in the network, with demand expected to increase by 40 per cent over the next 30 years.

So what are the major party’s plans to tackle the transport issues afflicting Hampshire?

In the second of a series of features looking at the key issues in the General Election, we asked five candidates what their party would do if they emerged victorious on May 8.

FUNDING: What is your party’s commitment regarding transport funding? Would you maintain funding at current levels or increase it?

Miles Grindey, Green, Fareham: “We would increase funding to ensure that there are enough bus routes that fit around people’s lives so that they had a clear alternative than driving, we would also make sure that the funding allows for routes that are combined with trains so people can get to work on time without having to be stuck in traffic.”

Paul Bailey, UKIP, New Forest West: “I am waiting for the manifesto to say conclusively what the funding commitment will be but with something akin to saving £80 million every day by withdrawing from the EU and Overseas Aid commitment, most areas of infrastructure in the UK will see funding increased or maintained under UKIP.”

Rob Hylands, Liberal Democrat, Gosport: “The Liberal Democrats are committed to not just maintaining, but improving the transport network.

“The transport network feeds industry and as such, we need a good fit for purpose transport strategy that keeps the wheels turning and keeps our economy strong.

“But we must also bear in mind that transport accounts for around 25 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions.”

Darren Paffey, Labour, Romsey and Southampton North: “Labour supports long-term investment in roads across the country and will work to improve the condition of local roads, which have been allowed to deteriorate significantly since 2010.”

Jeremy Moulton, Conservative, Southampton Test: “We are committed to £70 billion of transport Infrastructure investment over the next five years.

“This will ensure that Britain has the 21st century infrastructure it needs and is a key part of our long term economic plan to invest, grow the economy and create jobs.

“We have committed £6 billion to improve local roads over the next Parliament, in total £10 billion committed since 2010 and we have set out £38 billion for Britain's railways for the period 2014 and 2019, up from £34 billion invested in the preceding five years. This is the biggest investment since the Victorians.”

ROADS: What would your party do to solve some of the problems endured by motorists on south Hampshire’s road network, where congestion is a frequent problem?

Miles Grindey, Green, Fareham: “Well first of all, we would oppose Welborne (the new town planned for land north of Fareham that would contain 6,000 homes.

“It is just pure madness that elected representatives believe that it will be good news for Fareham (or even south Hampshire).

“The M27 last year was announced as one of the worst for delays, more cars on the road will not benefit anyone.

“The Green Party would also seek to increase the amount of buses and trains running so that people can have an alternative to driving.

“We also make sure that public transport is affordable so we can encourage people to cut down on the use of their cars.”

Paul Bailey, UKIP, New Forest West: “Congestion is no doubt caused by a number of factors but the biggest problem in my view is the negative relationship in the area between supply and demand.

“Comparing the UK to some other major European Countries like France, Germany, Spain etc we are a big player in the EU but with a much smaller land mass and a disproportionally oversized population.

“To better balance the supply and demand equation, one needs to take a good number of cars off the road, by encouraging and providing better rail, bus and air links as well as having an element of control over the numbers of people in the country who use our roads.”

Rob Hylands, Liberal Democrat, Gosport: “Getting freight off of the road and onto rail would be a move in the right direction, towards reducing the amount of carbon we are pumping into our atmosphere and it would also go a long way towards reducing congestion and helping to alleviate the issues faced by drivers on Hampshire’s roads every day.”

Darren Paffey, Labour, Romsey and Southampton North: “Labour will legislate to set up an independent National Infrastructure Commission to secure longterm investment in critical infrastructure, which could affect strategic routes such as the M27, M271, M3, and other key routes for Southampton city and region.

“To encourage greater use of public transport, Labour recognises that the bus market is not working so a Labour Government would give city and county regions greater control over the buses in their area.

“Within towns and cities, Labour will devolve to local areas greater control over transport spending, so that councils can better deliver on local priorities.

“We will continue to encourage innovation such as has been shown by the Labour-run Southampton City Council in developing key cycling routes to encourage more people to travel by bike – easing congestion and promoting wellbeing and develop a National Cycling Action Plan and take steps to promote cycling by making it safer and more accessible.”

Jeremy Moulton, Conservative, Southampton Test: “Southampton and Hampshire has already benefited from millions of pounds of Government funding to improve the city's infrastructure.

“Sadly our local Labour council has proved a disaster in managing major projects and have exacerbated congestion in the city. Their biggest disaster has been to let a contract to weatherproof the Northam Bridge with contractors able to finish work at 5pm and also timing the start of the works at the same time as major works on the M271 and its junction with the M27.

“When major road works are carried out they need to be scheduled appropriately and proper account needs to be taken of the impact on the local economy. This disaster would not have happened under the Conservatives and we would have ensured late night working to get the work done as quickly as possible.”

TRAINS: South West Trains, which operates the rail network in Hampshire, recently said the network is the UK’s most underfunded. What would your party do to ensure railway services in the county get more funding and provide better services for commuters?

Miles Grindey, Green, Fareham: We would take South West Trains and the other train companies and nationalise them.

“That way we can get them properly funded and take away the profit motive for them and actually get these companies to provide a decent service for commuters.”

Paul Bailey, UKIP, New Forest West: “If elected as the UKIP MP for the New Forest West, I would urge Hampshire County Council to spend/allocate some of its savings which if anything like the general trend amongst UK County Councils means they have managed to substantially increase savings during the past three years of recession (while we have all been experiencing cuts).

“This could at a stroke address the issue of underfunding raised by South West Trains.

“I would want to bring both sides together and a positive result here would of course greatly influence the issue raised in my point about car congestion on south Hampshire's road network.”

Rob Hylands, Liberal Democrat, Gosport: “I find it incredible that the South East has some of the most congested roads and the most underfunded rail network in the whole of the UK, so we would look to increase investment on our transport infrastructure, with that extra investment being focused on greener forms of transport such as rail.

“Improving the South’s rail network, getting freight off of the road and getting commuters around the country faster has to be our priority.“ Having said that, these are all part of our longer term plans for a zero carbon Britain, a plan that will take time to implement, so that does not mean that we won’t look at improvements to roads, especially where congestion is increasing journey times and adding to the carbon emissions problem.”

Darren Paffey, Labour, Romsey and Southampton North: “Train fares are already expensive for local people, and the many hard-working London commuters from the Southampton and Romsey area pay in the region of £5,000 per year for their season tickets.

“Labour will reform our railways to deliver a better deal for working families, firstly by creating a body to oversee and plan for the railways and give rail users a greater say in how trains operate. This body will contract routes and co-ordinate services, oversee stations, fares and ticketing, and ensure customer satisfaction across the network.

“Labour will ease the pressure on working families by capping annual fare rises on every route, simplifying fare structures and creating a new legal right to the cheapest ticket.”

Jeremy Moulton, Conservative, Southampton Test: “We are committed to a massive investment programme in Britain's railways, the biggest since Victorian times. We have set out £38 billion for Britain's railways for the period 2014 and 2019, up from £34 billion invested in the preceding five years.

“As Southampton Test's MP I will make sure that Southampton benefits from this new funding. Southampton Central Station needs redeveloping.

We need to improve freight links from the west both for the benefit of the economy but also, for the benefit of those who live by the railway at the bottom end of Freemantle, we need to tackle the noise and pollution caused by idling trains.

“We also need to improve the Waterloo line and I will campaign for more carriages as the current crowding on trains into London is not acceptable.”

POLICIES: What are your party’s key policies on transport?

Miles Grindey, Green, Fareham: “We would nationalise our railways.

“We would increase regulation on bus companies to effectively put them under the control of local authorities, although personally I would nationalise them.

“We would increase cycle lanes and public pathways to encourage healthier transport.”

Paul Bailey, UKIP, New Forest West: “UKIP’s key policies include: Scrapping the poorly planned HS2 project, saving up to £50 billion and improving existing rail infrastructure; opposing tolls on public roads as we’ve already paid for them; supporting bus passes for pensioners with the support of local authorities; Foreign vehicles to require Britdisc passes to contribute to the UK roads they use; and ending the use of speed cameras as revenue raisers – they should be a deterrent.

“Many countries in mainland Europe seem to get money to spend on road infrastructure but we do not seem to see that much of it here.

“Is that because we do not apply for it, or are we refused?

“If we do have to remain in the EU and I am an MP, I will endeavour to get the most out of it as possible for our area.”

Rob Hylands, Liberal Democrat, Gosport: “The Liberal Democrats are 100 per cent committed to delivering a transport infrastructure that is capable of keeping Britain moving, keeping its economy moving and one that delivers our goal of a Zero Carbon Britain by 2050.”

Darren Paffey, Labour, Romsey and Southampton North: “Labour’s key transport policies are to: introduce a strict cap on annual rail fare increases across all routes; review the franchising process to ensure the Tories’ franchising fiasco is never repeated, and legislate so a public sector operator can take on lines and challenge private train operating companies on a level playing field.

“We would give city and county regions greater control over the buses in their area so they can decide routes, set fares and improve services, create a new body to oversee and plan for the railways and give rail users a greater say on how trains operate and devolve regional transport decision making so that areas can bring together trains, buses, ferries, etc, into a single network with smart ticketing.

“We would also support long-term investment in roads across the country and work to improve the condition of local roads, which have been allowed to deteriorate significantly since 2010 and make cycling safer and more accessible with national standards to reduce deaths and serious injuries.”

Jeremy Moulton, Conservative, Southampton Test: “We are committed to £70 billion of transport infrastructure investment over the next five years. This will ensure that Britain has the 21st century infrastructure it needs and is a key part of our long-term economic plan to invest, grow the economy and create jobs.

“We are determined to ensure that transport is affordable for people, we are committed to protecting the free pensioner bus pass and we have kept rail fares down, freezing them in real terms for the last two years.

“We have suspended Labour’s fuel duty escalator and as a result petrol is 17p a litre cheaper than it would be under Labour – a saving of around £10 a tank.”