Billions and billions of pounds are to be wasted over the next 10 years if regional politicians and planners have their way.
They have collectively allocated 72% of their transport budgets to roads and only 24% to public transport schemes, at a time when road traffic should be being reduced.
The two worst offenders are the South East and the East Midlands, both of them spending 95% on roads.
The terrible truth is revealed in their wish lists for Government transport funding for the next 10 years.
They have submitted Ten Year Regional Transport Plans which are now being considered by ministers.
Transport 2000 highlighted the disastrous policies and said it was shocked at the roads bias. It blamed the Government for not telling the regional authorities to prioritise public transport measures.
Government guidance issued to the regions failed to instruct them to achieve a balance between public transport and road building, or to look at wider sustainability issues. The process excluded funding for heavy rail projects altogether.
Full details of the wish lists emerged in the past few days following the 31 January deadline for bids.
Transport 2000 public transport campaigner, Meera Rambissoon, said: “Asking the regions for their priorities was a good idea in principle but without proper guidance they’ve been trying to make a cake with no proper recipe to follow.
"Central government should have guided the process much more closely. The whole thing has been something of a waste of time and we urge the Government to look very carefully at the quality of the advice that has come from the regions. Clearly some regions need to be ‘sent for retraining’ on the importance of public transport.
“It is particularly shocking that some of the regions have decided to pour their transport budgets into roads and not much-needed public transport at a time when feelings are running high over the number of tram schemes axed by the Government.
"The process hasn’t even given heavy rail a look-in and a number of urgent rail upgrades identified around the country have been excluded by default.”
Transport 2000’s Growing the Railways Campaign has identified around 50 pinch-points on the national rail network that need addressing with investment and said rail funding should be included in the new regional funding allocations.
Government ministers will make final decisions based on the "advice" received from the regions.
The regional breakdown:
South West: £632billion, 35% for public transport
West Midlands: £784billion, 39% for public transport. Midland Metrolink extension jeopardised
Yorkshire and Humber: £773billion. Leeds supertram jeopardised.
South East: £1,180billion, 5% for public transport.
North West: £1,287billion, 43% for public transport. Merseytram jeopardised.
North East: £429billion, 18% for public transport. Tees Valley Metro jeopardised.
East: £1,132billion, 28% for public transport.
East Midlands: £1,239billion, 4% for public transport. Nottingham Express Transit extension jeopardised.
Information from Transport 2000.
www.transport2000.org.uk