South Coast Against Roadbuilding (SCAR)
Press Release
Embargo: 0001hrs, Tuesday 7 November 2006.
FOR
PLANETS SAKE SCRAP THE A24 AND A27 SCHEMES.
IN response
to the announcement by the South East England Regional Transport Board
(SEERTB) that it agreed at it's meeting 27 October to approve a massive road
expansion programme only days after the Stern report on the catastrophic
effects of climate change, Ian Brookes coordinator for South coast
Against Roadbuilding (SCAR) said:
"WE condemn the SEERTB decision. Road
Transport contributes to over 21% of UK climate change emissions[1] and
with these emissions predicted to rise by 30% from 1990 to 2020[2]
providing more road capacity for yet more traffic to fill is to say
the least irresponsible.
It would be one thing if the schemes
proposed for Arundel, Bexhill, Chichester,
Wilmington and the A24 would ease
congestion or improve safety, but as the latest study of the contentious
Newbury Bypass[3][4] shows, that bypass increased crashes and increased
traffic coming into the area.
Instead of all this traffic generating road
building wasting vast sums of hard pressed taxpayers money, we would
prefer to see traffic reduced to lessen climate change with the money
saved invested in schemes to reduce the need to travel at peek times and
move goods over long distances".
ENDS__________________________
Notes:
[1] Transport Statistics Great Britain 2005,
Table 3.7, DfT October 2005
[2] Transport Statistics Great Britain
2005, Table 3.7, DfT October 2005
[3] Killer Newbury Bypass
[4] Study into the impact of the Newbury
Bypass shows the Newbury Bypass has failed within a few years of opening
by creating enormous amounts of traffic, with levels exceeding those
before the road was built, and traffic reaching the level forecast for
2010 by 2003
South Coast Against Roadbuilding (SCAR) was formed in 1994, as an
umbrella group to local groups fighting the threat of more road
building. Many of our groups support non-violent direct action and were
at Binstead Wood Arundel, Twyford Down, Newbury and the A30.
Our website address is:
http://www.scar-uk.co.uk