LIB DEM LEADER WELCOMES GREENER TRANSPORT OPTIONS

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 6th Sep 2007

Menzies Campbell with Fiona Hall MEP, Cllr. Carol Woods and director of the Option C car club, Mike Berrinan.

The leader arrived in Durham on Friday via the East Coast Main Line service from London Kings Cross and was met at the station by local MEP Fiona Hall in an Option C car club car. He then met the Save the Valley group who are campaigning against an inner relief road as well as meeting Liberal Democrats running the City Council.

At the party's conference later this month, Menzies Campbell will launch a plan of action for greener transport, in a bid to make Britain Zero Carbon by the middle of this century. Speaking during the visit, he said:

"We need to be making public transport easier to use, faster and more efficient.

"Our proposals include introducing faster trains for the East Coast Main Line, which would work on the existing network, and being creative in getting people to use their cars less.

Councillor Carol Woods, deputy leader of Durham City Council said that they are urging the County Council to fund two more park and rides at Stonebridge and Shincliffe and are fighting plans to build an inner relief road.

"There is no need to build another road in Durham when there are options such as the park and rides and the car club."

Fiona Hall MEP who works on energy issues in the European Parliament agreed with Councillor Woods and said she welcomed Lib Dem plans for a Zero Carbon Britain.

She said:

"The increasing amounts of carbon dioxide that we are currently producing are almost certainly the underlying cause of the extreme weather conditions we have suffered over the summer.

"Liberal Democrat plans to increase transport options would decrease the amount of CO2 we emit."