Liberal Democrats: cutting transport emissions a price for a coalition Government

The Lib Dems today say that a priority for a coalition they enter will be a low emission zone network and to make all buses and taxis ultra-low emission and all major rail routes electric within 15 years.

A Green Transport Act, including a national plan to dramatically improve Britain's air quality by 2020, is one of a handful of top priorities of the Lib Dems in any coalition negotiations, given its status on the front-cover of its manifesto, unveiled this morning.

It would include a legal requirement for the most polluted towns and cities to create low emission zones - as demanded by a cross-party committee of MPs - and a statutory target of 2030 by which all major rail routes will be electrified and every new bus and taxi must be ultra low emission. By 2040 every non-freight vehicle on the roads will by law have to be ultra-low emission.

The manifesto also includes:

Ten-year capital investment plans for transport infrastructure;

A five-year investment plan for the bus industry and support for local areas that want to regulate buses;

A commitment to continue to fund "local economic and sustainable transport infrastructure" through the Local Growth Fund;

A national wellbeing strategy to put wellbeing for all at the heart of transport policy in a bid to improve mental health;

A comprehensive plan to re-open rail stations and restore twin-track lines and electrify the majority of the UK rail network;

No net increase in runways in the South East but a commitment to "carefully consider" the recommendations of the Davies Review

A commitment to spend £10 per head on cycling infrastructure;

A two-thirds discount on bus travel for 16 - 21-year olds to "assist all bus users by maintaining the viability of existing bus routes and making it easier to open new ones".