This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/7312650.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Plans for car-share lane dropped M1 car-sharing lane plans dropped
(10 minutes later)
Plans for the first car-share lane on the M1 promised by former Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2004 have been dropped by the government. Plans for the first car-share lane on the M1 have been dropped.
It would have run from junctions 7 to 10, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, to Luton, Bedfordshire. The government had proposed operating the scheme from junction 7, St Albans, Hertfordshire to junction 10, Luton, Bedfordshire.
But the Department for Transport u-turned the move, deciding it was "not the right solution for this location". But the Department for Transport has now decided it is "not the right solution for this location".
Campaign for Better Transport accuses officials of "burying" the decision in a report published earlier this month. The first motorway car-share lane which links the southbound M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds, West Yorkshire, opened on Thursday.
The scheme was announced by the government to promote car sharing. The Campaign for Better Transport has accused officials of "burying" the decision not to open a similar lane for the M1 in a report published earlier this month.
'Innovative scheme''Innovative scheme'
Solo drivers would have been banned from the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane - during rush hour.Solo drivers would have been banned from the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane - during rush hour.
The decision comes after Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly opening the first motorway car-share lane on the M606/M62 in West Yorkshire, last week.
The £5.3m stretch links the southbound M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds.
Kelly said similar traffic management measures could be introduced on another 500 miles of motorway.
The former Transport Secretary promised the car share lane in 2004The former Transport Secretary promised the car share lane in 2004
When Darling announced the M1 car-share lane in 2004, it was heralded as an "innovative scheme to reduce congestion and improve journey times on the M1". When the then Transport Minister Alistair Darling announced the M1 car-share lane in 2004, it was heralded as an "innovative scheme to reduce congestion and improve journey times on the M1".
Campaign for Better Transport wrote to Transport Minister Tom Harris in October 2007 asking him to re-commit to the M1 HOV lane, but never received a reply. The Campaign for Better Transport wrote to Transport Minister Tom Harris in October 2007 asking him to recommit to the M1 HOV lane, but did not receive a reply.
The decision to drop the promised M1 car-share lane was stated on page 65 of an 80-page report published this month.The decision to drop the promised M1 car-share lane was stated on page 65 of an 80-page report published this month.
Rebecca Lush Blum, Campaign for Better Transport's roads and climate campaigner, said: "We are disappointed that the government has decided not to back the important M1 car-share lane.Rebecca Lush Blum, Campaign for Better Transport's roads and climate campaigner, said: "We are disappointed that the government has decided not to back the important M1 car-share lane.
"Car-share lanes work elsewhere in the world, cutting congestion and carbon emissions.""Car-share lanes work elsewhere in the world, cutting congestion and carbon emissions."
The government estimated that there would be 5% fewer cars on the road if car sharing was adopted.