Alliance against road building

 

PRESS RELEASE – 28th March 2005


Plans for 4000km of New Roads Revealed


New Department for Transport predictions [1] reveal that the Government are planning over 4000 kilometres of new roads by 2025, and have no intention of reversing traffic growth. The alliance against road building, Road Block [2], says this is proof that the Government is not serious about tackling climate change or traffic growth, and has abandoned previous pledges to implement an integrated transport policy and protect the environment.


The new figures give the Assumptions that were used for the 2004 ‘Future of Transport’ White Paper, which outlined transport policy until 2025 [3]. Included in the assumptions:

Rebecca Lush of Road Block said:


“These figures reveal the Government is just posturing when it comes to tackling climate change, and exposes the complacency of this Government when it comes to protecting the environment and tackling traffic growth. All talk of sustainable transport is blown out of the water by these predictions which reveal the Government is encouraging massive increases in traffic. Transport will become a battleground, exposing any Government talk on climate as a load of hot air”

Currently there are over 200 planned and approved road schemes. Only last week, the Government gave the go-ahead to an additional 12 major road schemes totalling £1.4 billion. Meanwhile the Scottish Executive reversed the decision of a Public Inquiry inspector and gave the green light to the controversial £500 million M74 in east Glasgow. Direct action is planned [4].


Transport already accounts for over 25% of carbon dioxide emissions and is the fastest growing source, and thus the most critical area to tackle [5]. Currently traffic is growing at a steady 2% every year [6].


Contact Rebecca Lush of Road Block on 01803 847649 and 07854 693067


Notes to Editors:


[1] The Assumptions were revealed in a Freedom of Information request and are on the DfT website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/divisionhomepage/036818.hcsp


[2] Road Block is a new alliance against road building. Launched in January 2005, Road Block aims to help groups defeat the current roads programme of over 200 planned and proposed schemes. Groups from Edinburgh to Cornwall are joining the Road Block alliance. See www.roadblock.org.uk


[3] The Future of Transport White Paper of July 2004, was littered with contradictions, stating that “we can’t build our way out of congestion”, yet continuing a few lines down with “we need to … identify, fund and deliver promptly additional road capacity.” The day after the White Paper was published, a delegation of protesters from the big protests of the 1990s invaded the DfT, handing in a symbolic bicycle d-lock as a reminder that such locks were used by protesters to attach themselves to bulldozers, and a letter to Alistair Darling threatening more direct action protests. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/westcountry/2004/07/295124.html


[4] See http://www.jam74.org/


[5] From the ‘Future of Transport’ White Paper, 2004


[6] See http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/displaypn.cgi?pn_id=2005_0011