What is the Plan for Drivers?

10th Jun, 2024

At the time of writing, the UK is now well into election campaign season, which means there are all sorts of pledges and promises popping up in the headlines – some of which you may well have missed the first time they were announced. One that’s got curiously little press attention so far is the Plan for Drivers, which is especially puzzling considering all the fanfare with which it was announced back at the Conservative party conference last year.

It’s a series of measures that’s been framed as “slamming the brakes on anti-motorist measures”; a turn of phrase that’s been welcomed in some quarters, but greeted with a fair amount of raised eyebrows in others. So whether or not you have any imminent plans to scrap your car, you’ll probably want to know more about what it all involves!

What is the Plan for Drivers?

We’ve already touched on it above – in short, it’s a comprehensive series of 30 measures that are collectively designed to “improve the experience of driving through smoother journeys.”

You can find out the full list of 30 measures over on the official Plan for Drivers government page. These measures have been split into five main categories, which run as follows:

 

• Smoother journeys
• Stopping unfair enforcement
• Easier parking
• Cracking down on inconsiderate driving
• Helping the transition to zero emission driving

 

One notable secondary aim of the Plan is to clarify what the government has achieved already, as well as what it plans to do for the future. There are a couple of points that relate to public transport (especially buses), but mostly it focuses on private vehicles.

Some points are more controversial than others – the Department for Transport is reportedly looking at ways to limit the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, for example, despite the fact that even the government’s own research says they’re generally positive for the country as a whole.

Similarly, the document also makes a point of its intentions to “Stop local authorities using so-called 15-minute cities to police people’s lives” – a statement that fundamentally misunderstands the point of the concept, according to the expert who first came up with it.

What’s been the reaction?

To be honest, it’s been mixed. Even the positive responses have been somewhat lukewarm – the RAC released what reads like a very carefully worded statement that essentially said that yes, it welcomes moves that prevent drivers being unfairly fined due to confusion or avoidable red tape.

However, that response has very meticulously dodged mentioning any sort of political associations with the Plan – which the London Cycling Campaign has no such qualms about doing. The organisation regards the measures as a plan for “even more and faster driving”, which has “left climate and active travel organisations aghast”.

The LCC also drew attention to the choice of language in the plans, including the point about Low Traffic Neighbourhoods that have not “secured local consent”, which the organisation points out is ill-defined. It also notes that the Prime Minister announced the plans by talking about how “drivers feel under attack”, a phrase which some have said attempts to draw very clear dividing lines between drivers and pedestrians. As you can imagine, the phrase “culture war” has already popped up more than a few times.

The Transport Planning Society, on the other hand, has said: “We welcome the ‘Plan for Drivers’ recognition of public transport and active travel as vital to give people more choice in how they travel. We are also pleased that a number of the proposed measures will be based on public consultation and engagement, which is the cornerstone of any robust transport strategy.

…However, we are concerned to see the lack of commitment to create a shift to walking, cycling and public transport necessary to promote healthier and more sustainable forms of transport and reduced social and environmental impacts.”

So where do we go from here?

To be honest, it’s been quite telling that we’re now several weeks into an election campaign season and none of the most prominent parties appear to have mentioned the Plan for Drivers. At all. So it will be interesting to see how the plans progress once the election is over and done with. Will the Conservative government ramp up its proposals, despite the apparent lack of interest from the public? Or will another incoming party (at the moment most likely Labour) scrap the policy entirely? Only time will tell!

Whatever happens though, you can be sure of one thing – here at Scrap Car Network, you can always count on us to help you get the best price for scrapping your car. We now have more than 40 years of experience behind us, so you can trust us when we say we can get you the very best price, right here at Scrap Car Network! All you need to do is enter a few details into our homepage, and we’ll provide you with an instant online quote! Curious to see how much your car is worth?