Total Pageviews

Translate

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Campaign for Better Transport - out of touch?

My thanks are due to Tristan Cork e: tristan.cork+Western Daily Press.co.uk for his piece 11th November 2014 on the PM's announcement that the government will outline in the Autumn Statement, what will be done to correct the A303.   Read more: http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/A303-plan-desecrate-Stonehenge/story-24508807-detail/story.html#ixzz3Iqfcg3Ba
Follow us: @WesternDaily on Twitter | WesternDaily on Facebook
However, there is one very large "fly in the ointment" in the form of Chris Todd and his Campaign for Better Transport who also have links with Stonehenge Alliance.
Chris, to be fair, certainly has Stonehenge close at his heart, but is yet another "desk in London" and has clearly not had the misfortune to join the end of the gridlock close to the WHS or tried to rat run through our villages to avoid it....this is his take on the announcement to improve the beleaguered A303.....
Chris Todd, roads campaigner at the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The road building schemes the Government is so keen to talk up will trash protected areas and do nothing for the economy.   “It makes no sense to spend billions ploughing more lanes of traffic through our National Parks or desecrating irreplaceable historic sites like Stonehenge.  “These schemes will make people more dependant than ever on their cars, place greater costs on the NHS, while failing to tackle problems like the massive backlog of pot holes blighting local roads.”
Chris....no disrespect, but you're out of touch mate!  
The four wheeled vehicle, since Henry Ford 1863 - 1947, revolutionised transportation - is here to stay, therefore improvements need to evolve along with our way of life!    Has the Campaign for Better Transport been able to come up with an alternative to opening up the gridlock around Stonehenge, because we'd all very much like to hear about it if they have!  
AA president Edmund King welcomed the announcement, saying: “Roads carry 90% of goods and people and are our biggest transport asset and so it makes perfect sense to upgrade them to help the UK economy by improving journey times for people and business.”
RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “The Chancellor collects more than £30 billion in road fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) alone but spends just a quarter of this on the road network. If a larger share of this income will now be used to upgrade our highways, which are a vital national asset, then that is welcome.   “This announcement has to be seen against the rapidly-rising population which will cause only more congestion on the roads unless there is significant investment in removing the pinch points.”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Presumably Mr. Todd Pothole is talking about the terrible London pothole problem, which has caused the training wheels to fall off his kiddy bike....