MASSIVE increases in fuel duty will never succeed in pricing motorists out of their cars as long as alternative transport remains under-funded and fails to meet the public's needs, says Martin Brock, principal consultant at Stanger Science and Environment, an environmental management group within construction services company Tarmac.

Within the parent company, Brock has been helping to improve the efficiency of Tarmac's 4,300 car and van fleet through measuring fuel use, mileages, accident rates, servicing costs and insurance costs. He stresses, however, that any actions taken on a local level have to be supported by Westminster and that this would also help manufacturers to prioritise research and development projects.

'Car manufacturers are proving innovative, not only in new designs and quality, but also in environmental terms and are willing to test out new ideas but what is missing is an indication from the Government on which direction they should take. There needs to be a meeting of minds.'