ROAD BLOCK - alliance against roadbuilding

Press release - 3 July 2006

SECOND STUDY REVEALS THE NEWBURY BYPASS FAILED

PROTESTERS VINDICATED - SCRAP £13 BILLION ROADS PROGRAMME

A 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 [1]. This echoes a similar study by WS Atkins for West Berkshire Council in 2005 [2]. The national alliance against roadbuilding, Road Block, said this shows that roadbuilders routinely underestimate traffic forecasts for road schemes in order to get them approved, and called for the scrapping of the £13 billion road programme [3].

The study was published today by the government's Countryside Agency, and the charity CPRE, Campaign to Protect Rural England. It examined three recent road schemes to see the impacts on traffic levels, development around the roads and the impact on protected landscapes. For all three road schemes the researchers found that traffic levels were considerably more than was forecast when the schemes were originally planned and justified.

The Newbury Bypass was opened in 1998. However in 1995, before construction, the Highways Agency forecast for the A34 Newbury Bypass, was 30,000 to 36,000 vehicles per day (averaged throughout the year) by 2010. The actual level measured in 2004 was 43,800. Meanwhile peak-time congestion within the town is now back to original levels.

In a 2005 study by WS Atkins for West Berkshire Council, it was revealed that Newbury had seen rapid traffic growth, almost 50% in just four years, whilst nationally traffic grows by an average 1-2% a year. The report also found that public transport provision and usage in the town was very low, and there was a very low rate of walking and cycling.

The local MP Richard Benyon has also recently called for another bypass to the east of the town, as the controversial western bypass had already failed.

Road Block Coordinator Rebecca Lush said:

"This is the second vindication for the thousands of people who protested about the tragic and wasteful destruction at Newbury. We said at the time that any relief would be short term. This road scheme has clearly failed, with Newbury gridlocked once more, but minus its stunning countryside. However instead of learning lessons from failed road schemes, the government is instead wasting £13 billion on a new massive roadbuilding programme. They are committing themselves to making the same mistakes over again, whilst wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers money doing so. With road transport contributing 21% of total UK CO2 emissions it is essential we stop fuelling traffic growth with more roadbuilding"

"We must learn from mistakes, and analyse why road schemes are routinely producing more traffic than was predicted. Road Block believes that roadbuilders routinely underestimate the impacts of projects, whilst exaggerating the benefits. This are very costly and irreversible mistakes. We must end roadbuilding that fuels traffic growth."

Ironically just last week the government gave the green light to much needed rail gauge enhancements from Southampton to the Midlands, which was what the protesters were arguing for at Newbury 10 years ago [5]. This will remove much of the heavy freight from the road network and onto the railways. Road Block argues this should have been done over 10 years ago.

The key findings of the report:

* A34 traffic growth far above both predictions and national average

* Peak-time congestion in town back to original levels

* Traffic relief to old road is being eroded by development-generated traffic

* Development towards bypass so far less than feared, but growing pressure for more

* Landscape impacts as bad as predicted

Notes to Editors

[1] Beyond Transport Infrastructure by Lilli Matson, Ian Taylor, Lynn Sloman and John Elliott, published by CPRE and the Countryside Agency (CA). A copy of the Executive Summary is available on request. The full report is being posted on CPRE's website, www.cpre.org.uk/publications/index.htm , and on the CA's website at www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/PP/planning/research.asp

[2] The WS Atkins Newbury Movement Study for West Berkshire Council is available to download at webpage:
 http://www.westberks.gov.uk/WestBerkshire/transport.nsf/pages/NewburyM114721.html . Page 37 of the Newbury Movement Study says 'across both roads [the A339 – the old A34 near central Newbury, and the new A34 bypass], the overall traffic has dramatically risen from 43,900 (1999) to 65,000 (2003), a rise of just under 50% in four years' whilst nationally over the same period traffic had grown by only about 5%.

[3] Total of the Highways Agency Targeted Programme of Improvements (£10.371 billion) and Government approved local schemes (£1.754 billion) and road schemes in the Community Infrastructure Fund programme (£81.96 million) = £12.945 billion on government approved road schemes. Source: Written Answer from Road Minister Stephen Ladyman to Parliamentary Question by Tom Brake 19 Dec 2005 -  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm051219/text/51219w08.htm#51219w08.html_wqn8

[4] The Highways Agency's annual roadbuilding budget passed £1 billion for the first time this year. In its 2006-7 Business Plan, the roadbuilding budget had almost doubled since the 2005-6 Business Plan to reach £1.046 billion.
 http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/documents/ha_business_plan0607-6_indicative_budget.pdf

[5] Ministerial Statement on Productivity Transport Innovation Fund - 27 June 2006
 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060627/wmstext/60627m0102.htm#column_6WS

Road Block
020 7729 6973 / 07854 693067
www.roadblock.org.uk