Alliance against road building

 

PRESS RELEASE – 11th April 2006

ROAD BUILDING WILL NOT LEAD TO SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Road Block, the national alliance against roadbuilding, said the road schemes given the go-ahead today as part of the Community Infrastructure Fund would not lead to "Sustainable Communities" [1]. The alliance claims that the road building will simply lead to more car based development, traffic growth and CO2 emissions increases.

Today £41.84 million of roadbuilding schemes were given the go-ahead around Northamptonshire and the Thames Gateway area, out of £52 million allocated from the ODPM's Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF). Over 80% of the funds went to road building.

The full list is:

* Cross Valley Link Road (£9.69m)
* Sandy Lane Relief Road (£4.51m)
* Sandy Lane improvements (£5.72m)
* Corby Northern Orbital Road (£6.1m)
* Wilby Way Roundabout (£1.3m)
* Fletton Parkway (£7.1m)
* Great Notley Garden Village Access, Braintree (£4.8m)
* Woolwich New Road (£2.62m)

Road Block coordinator Rebecca Lush said:

"This is just new money for old roads. Most of the Community Infrastructure Fund investment is going towards creating yet more car based sprawl rather than public transport. There is nothing 'sustainable' about the government's 'Sustainable Communities' housing plans. The money could have gone into reopening the rail link between Kettering and Corby. This investment mistake is going to simply continue the discredited policy of creating car based sprawl. The government should have followed the example of Kent County Council who have based their based their housing development around a guided busway scheme".

 

Notes to Editors:

[1] ODPM / DfT press release is here
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=195807&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False