The Manifestos Are Out! But What Do They Say About Transport?

The political parties have now published their??manifestos??for May's 2015 general election. Here's a guide to where they stand on transport issues.

• The Conservatives have confirmed that they plan to spend ??500 million on the development of zero emission vehicles. They also mention upgrading the M1 and M6 whilst improving roads across the whole of England.

• Labour talk about supporting long-term investment in strategic roads and addressing the neglect of local roads. However, they will delay an upgrade to the A27 and A358 in Southern England in order to fund a rail fare freeze.

• The Liberal Democrats mention improvements to infrastructure in the hope of combatting congestion on the roads. They propose the introduction of a Green Transport Act which backs the development of electric vehicles, targeted support for light freight and early requirements to use low emission vehicles in the public sector. They've also set the UK a target of 2040 for the date after which only Ultra-Low Emission vehicles will be permitted on UK roads for non-freight purposes.

• UKIP dedicate a whole section to transport in their manifesto. Nigel Farage's party say they'll only install speed cameras in black spots, near schools and in residential areas. They'll end toll roads and offer to scrap the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) for professionally licensed drivers. The HGV road user levy also gets a mention with UKIP claiming that, in the case of leaving the EU, the levy would "cease to apply" to UK vehicles.

• The SNP would like to continue improving the roads network in Scotland, including enhancements to the A90 and a new Forth crossing. They'll encourage low carbon transport and expand "park and rides".

• The Greens reference the numbers of people killed on the roads in recent years and talk about how they'd try to bring those numbers down. They'd do this by reducing speed limits in residential areas and with more speed cameras and policing. The Greens want to reduce lorry activity and road freight volume by improving rail freight services and reducing the number of empty or partially loaded trips.

• Plaid Cymru support a cheaper 'blue route' to reduce south Wales M4 traffic; investing in all regions, including the A55.

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