THE two Conservative leadership candidates have been outlining their transport policies.

Both David Cameron and David Davis have largely focused on alternative issues to transport, but the matter has been touched on in public speeches.

One of the men will be announced as the new Conservative Party leader on Tuesday.

Cameron described the transport infrastructure as ‘groaning under pressure’ and a ‘great danger to our future prosperity’.

He said: ‘A world class economy needs to be able to move people and goods around efficiently and reliably. Yet Britain has the most congested roads in Europe. Our journeys to work take the longest.’

Cameron called for a concerted programme of road building and the introduction of advanced traffic management methods. He said this should include ‘new solutions for road charging based on usage and the time of day’.

Davis agrees that infrastructure improvement is key. He said: ‘Poor road links play a direct part in raising business costs and lowering national productivity, and our operators are at a considerable competitive disadvantage compared to those on the continent.’

But he was sceptical about recent road charging proposals.

He said: ‘The move towards road pricing is just another way to hit people in the pocket as they pay twice through their road tax and then again at the toll booth.’