The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has grown frustrated with the poor state of infrastructure in the United Kingdom, and is calling for a greater amount of investment before chancellor George Osborne will address the U.K.’s Parliament on an emergency budget plan July 8.
The prolonged delay over when and whether to extend runway capacity in Southeast England is perhaps the most extreme example of the procrastination that is at the heart of government transport policy, according to BIFA. “It is time to get down to some long-term, strategic airport planning before the U.K. finally and irrevocably runs out of airport capacity,” said Robert Keen, director general of the BIFA.
BIFA said existing roads in the U.K. are crumbling and that congestion exists in all modes of transport.
Statisticians estimate that the U.K.’s population will increase to 72 million people by 2050, “putting an unprecedented strain on the country’s logistics network,” Keen said.
Keen said the freight industry is often overlooked by politicians, despite the fact that 2.2 million people in the U.K. – one in 12 of the workforce – are employed in the sector, according to the government’s own figures. Issues that impact the global supply chain, such as customs, EU legislation, security and international trade treaties, also need to be addressed urgently, he added.