GOVERNMENT GIVES GO AHEAD TO £209 MILLION ROAD THE DAY AFTER CLIMATE FAILURE REPORT

Today, the government has given the go-ahead to a new £290 million Mersey Gateway road crossing, which will increase traffic growth and CO2 emissions [1]. The announcement comes the day after the government released its Climate Change Programme Review which revealed that the government is failing to reach its climate emissions targets [2].

Road Block coordinator, Rebecca Lush, said:

"It is no wonder the government is failing to reduce emissions, when it is allowing traffic levels to rise by continuing to build more roads. Traffic growth has increased under Labour, and they have failed to deliver their promised sustainable transport policy. Since 2000 the government has steadily been building up a roads programme of 200 approved schemes. Just the day after the Climate Change Programme Review revealed the government is failing us on climate change, it is not hard to see the reasons why, as they give the go-ahead to yet another traffic generating road scheme."

Notes to Editors:

[1] DfT press release giving the go-ahead is here:
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?ReleaseID=193137&NewsAreaID=112&HUserID=878,793,894,857,782,871,870,845,786,674,677,767,684,762,718,674,708,683,706,718,674
[2] The Defra Climate Change Programme Review can be found here:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/review04/index.htm

[3] According to the CCPR, transport accounts for 27% of UK CO2 emissions, with road transport being 25% of all UK CO2 emissions.

[4] Despite its rhetoric on climate change, the government have also given the go-ahead to two other big road schemes in the last month.
* The £175 million M6 Extension. See http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/2006-03-23.htm
* and the A365 million A419 Blunsdon Bypass. See http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/2006-03-09.htm

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