CPRE comment on new road fund
Campaign to Protect Rural England
1 min read
Daniel Carey-Dawes, Senior Infrastructure Campaigner at CPRE has commented on the transport secretary Chris Grayling’s announcement of a new “bypass fund” to tackle congestion.
Today’s announcement gives us nothing new. Although the Secretary of State is heralding this fund as a way of tackling congestion and unlocking local economies, the reality is unlikely to reflect that. Study after study show that you simply cannot build your way out of congestion. The transport secretary appears totally blind to the fact that the new car-dependent housing development he seeks to encourage alongside new roads will simply cause those roads to become jammed too. In addition, we know that ribbon development of this kind often fuels the growth of out-of-town retail parks, posing another threat to the viability of traditional market towns.
On balance this policy will leave motorists frustrated and market town economies at risk. The only people who will benefit from this policy are developers themselves. Instead of pouring yet more money down a policy black hole the transport secretary should focus on hard-nosed investment in local bus and rail services. Any attempt to tarmac over our cherished landscapes to make developers' lives easier will be fiercely resisted by rural communities across England.
