The government says subsequent month’s Autumn Statement will incorporate plans to commit £15 billion on main road projects in between now and 2020 – making hundreds of further miles of motorways and trunk roads to speed up journey times and lessen accidents.
‘World-class infrastructure’
Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry’s annual conference in London this week, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “To secure Britain’s future, we want world-class infrastructure. Families need it to get about companies need it to create jobs we need to have it to compete with the planet and deliver economic security.
“You will see an Autumn Statement exactly where we pick the future once again. At its heart is the greatest, boldest and most far reaching road improvement programme in 4 decades: over 100 improvements to our key roads.”
The £15 billion targets some of the UK’s busiest and most problematic roads, like:
- A303 to the south west
- A1 north of Newcastle
- A1 Newcastle-Gateshead western bypass
- Trans-Pennine roads in the north of England
- A47 in the east of England
- A27 on the south coast of England.
Going underground
As portion of the plans to upgrade the A303, the government has announced ambitious plans to develop a tunnel beneath Stonehenge.
The National Trust has supported this idea, telling ministers it a tunnel of in between 1.5 miles and 1.8 miles could be the way to ease the visitors jams that blight this specific stretch of road.
Drumming up assistance
The £15 billion of upgrades to be announced in the Autumn Statement will be spent alongside the £9 billion that has currently been spent over this Parliament – meaning the government will have spent more than £24billion on main road improvements by the turn of the decade.
But not every person is completely behind the proposals, with some cynics pointing out a lot of of the projects are in marginal constituencies, suggesting the plans are only being place in spot to strengthen Conservative support ahead of subsequent year’s common election.
Even seasoned road campaigners are not entirely convinced. Chris Todd, roads campaigner at the Campaign for Greater Transport, said: “The road developing schemes the Government is so keen to talk up will trash protected places and do nothing for the economy.
“It tends to make no sense to spend billions ploughing more lanes of targeted traffic via our National Parks or desecrating irreplaceable historic sites like Stonehenge. These schemes will make people more dependent than ever on their vehicles, place higher costs on the NHS, although failing to tackle troubles like the massive backlog of pot holes blighting nearby roads.”
Which proves that no matter how substantial the spending and how ambitious the plans, you cannot please all of the men and women, all of the time.
What do you think? Is this a genuine try to enhance situations for motorists across the nation, or electioneering ahead of next year’s vote?
£15bn road improvements: evolution or electioneering?
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