| Paul launches i before e campaign so Ipswich can plan to avoid long-term chaoes and gridlock | ||
| Paul West, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Ipswich, has launched his “i – before – e” campaign (Infrastructure before Expansion) to address the question now being asked by every person in Ipswich – “with all this extra development just where is all the traffic going to go?” Over 20,000 extra dwellings are planned for Greater Ipswich over the next fifteen years. With a new university eventually attracting nearly 5,000 more students, the possibility of the SnOasis development just outside the town and continued expansion of the operations at both the Port of Ipswich and Port of Felixstowe serious questions are now being asked about the town’s infrastructure. In launching his campaign, Paul said: “I am launching the “i – before – e” campaign because we need to secure the town’s future by ensuring it can cope with all the new developments. The public are asking questions and nobody has yet given them answers. Unless politicians can now grasp the nettle and deliver the infrastructure to support the expansion of the town there will be long-term traffic chaos and gridlock on our roads in the years ahead. I am calling for a debate where all the options are put on the table and examined thoroughly. In recent weeks, everyone has witnessed the chaos caused when a lane of the Orwell Bridge was closed, and the gridlock that ensued during the closure of Yarmouth Road, and most people are familiar with the daily misery in and around the Duke Street roundabout – even before the University takes off. I believe a link from the Port to the A14 is an absolute necessity and the first priority. But we also need to consider an alternative option to take pressure off the Orwell Bridge – perhaps a northern bypass, a second Orwell Bridge or maybe it is even worth thinking about a submerged tunnel alongside the bridge on or below the riverbed (like the Dartford crossing) – nothing should be ruled out until it has been evaluated. And how exciting it would be to introduce a modern tram system connecting the railway station with the Waterfront and university campus. Yes, all these things cost money but millions of pounds both public and private are already pouring into the town - is it too much to ask that we use some of that money to build some new infrastructure first? We need to be ready for the year 2020 not 1920!” Paul West Conservative PPC for Ipswich 16 March 2005 |
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