THE fact that the Government's 10-year transport plan didn't really get out of the starting blocks was hardly surprising. John Prescott's original proposals were a strange mix of good intentions and pie-in-the-sky idealism.

At its heart, seemingly, was the hope that traffic congestion could be brought under control if the mantra of "integrated transport system" was repeated often enough.

Mr Prescott's successor at the Department of Transport, Alistair Darling, at least deserves credit for acknowledging that sorting out Britain's transport problems will take more than wishful thinking. He should also be credited for coming clean and saying that there is only so much that can be done, even within the spend, spend, spend culture of this Government.

Mr Darling's statement is also a tacit admission that motorists will not be parted from their cars through modest tinkerings with the tax system and without massive investment in rail and bus services. That sort of investment is out of the question for a Government committed to pouring millions into health and education. So what we will get are relatively modest improvements to the roads network and, maybe, some progress towards more reliable rail and bus services. The holy grail of good quality public transport and an efficient road network is some distance away.

In the North-East and Yorkshire, we are relatively well-off. The improvements to the A1 and A66, whilst long overdue, will make a major difference to business and private individuals.

The weakest link remains the rail network. GNER East Coast Main Line services are good but have become a victim of their own success with overcrowding a chronic problem at times. Arriva Trains Northern, who at present operate all the other local services, have been pretty much a disaster, fined huge sums for cancelled services last year and handicapped this year by a crippling dispute with its staff which looks to run beyond the point where its franchise ends in February 2003.

A huge responsibility rests with the Strategic Rail Authority to make the right choices in awarding the franchises for the region's local rail services next year.