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The UK's new secretary of state for transport will be Conservative MP Philip Hammond.

With the Conservatives' failure to reach an overall majority in the General Election, it remains to be seen which of the party's road-related pledges will survive the Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition.

With drivers continuously experiencing rises in road costs such as fuel, oil and road tax, most of us will surely be expecting better times to come. So with a Tory MP placed in the leading role for transport, the following is what we can expect, based on their election manifesto;

  • Stop central funding for new fixed speed cameras
  • Focus on better ways to make our roads safe including authorising ‘drugalyser’ testing technology.
  • Crack down on road works, introducing lane rental for some of our busiest roads;
  • Give more powers to local councils to get traffic moving;
  • Crack down on rogue clampers;
  • Introduce a lorry road user charge, so foreign lorries pay their fair share of tax;
  • Consult on our Fair Fuel Stabiliser
  • Facilitate the switch to green cars by creating a national car recharging network

However, with our new coalition government, there are bound to be disputes on essential road changes. Here are some of the major areas of interest for motorists and how the two parties differ.

Fuel duty: Prior to the election, the Conservatives had pledged to introduce a 'fair fuel stabiliser' to cut fuel duty as oil prices rise and increase it as oil prices fall, while the Lib Dems had promised to increase fuel duty in line with economic growth.

Green issues: The Conservatives said that they would introduce a national network of charging points for electric and plug-in hybrids, while also promising to use extra revenue from 'green' taxes to reduce taxation elsewhere.

The Lib Dems pledged to deliver a 40% cut in greenhouse emissions by 2020, rising to 100% by 2050. However, the Lib Dems have also said they will cut major roads budgets and spend the money on switching road freight to the railway network.

Finally, Nick Clegg's party is committed in the long-term to a 'revenue-neutral' road-user pricing scheme on motorways and trunk roads.

No major new projects will be announced immediately, with the incoming administration expected to be concentrating solely on the economy for the foreseeable future.

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