Tory plan stuck in the slow lane

Yet there was no need for the Tories to make such a pledge. For the next government, and the likelihood is that it will be Tory-led, will be ultimately judged by its economic legacy and ability to cut Gordon Brown's record deficit.

What voters want to know, as decision day dawns, is whether they will be better off under a new administration – and whether a new government will get to grips with the one issue, transport, that underpins this region's recovery prospects.

Tellingly, there is no mention of transport in the economic contract, even though this is not a new issue to confront the Tory high command.

In January 2009, and in belated recognition of the extent to which they overlooked the North's specific policy needs, the Conservatives launched a transport commission in order to devise a series of policies to keep Yorkshire moving.

Yet, nearly 18 months later, the commission has yet to produce a strategy, though it has – as William Hague points out – undertaken much of the preliminary work.

This is regrettable. It sees the Conservatives go into the election with a policy that is little more than a well-rehearsed critique

of the Government's record and a welcome commitment to embrace high-speed rail.

However, Mr Hague and others should remember that millions of voters

will listen to the election results, and accompanying analysis, on the radio while stuck in a traffic jam or while waiting for a packed train.

They will want to know what a new government will do to reduce the tailbacks in Yorkshire – or reduce the chronic overcrowding on some rail services in this region. These will not be solved by high-speed rail; it requires a party with the vision to achieve lasting results

at a local level and it is disappointing that the Conservatives have

not yet made sufficient progress on their policy work.