Roadbuilding will not benefit the motorist
14th Jul 2004
Recent comments in the press which applaud the concept of toll roads yet criticise Alistair Darling for not going far enough, are based on the faulty assumption that roadbuilding will benefit the motorist. This is not the case.
In fact, the 1994 government-produced SACTRA report found conclusively that one of the major effects of road expansion is to generate more traffic. This evidence is backed up by a 1998 report (Landor) that found, conversely, that when road capacity decreases then traffic also decreases.
It is also doubtful that the extension to the M6 will decrease congestion. Lorries, a major cause of motorway overcrowding, are loathe to use the existing toll road because the tolls are simply too high. As this new toll road is planned to be even more expensive, it is even less likely to shift lorries off the M6.
The ancillary effects of this scheme will be felt both by motorists battling through the increased traffic on roads surrounding the motorway, and by the general public suffering from deteriorating air quality. Moreover, it is absolutely inexcuseable to concrete over acres of countryside for such a counter-productive project.
It is pointless - and environmentally disastrous - to continue trying to build our way out of congestion. Real investment into the rail and public transport network, is the only way to preserve the countryside and ease the congestion on England's roads.
Alan Francis - Green Party spokesperson on transport