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No to the M74 Northern Extension in Glasgow

fwd | 25.06.2003 18:11 | Ecology | Free Spaces | Social Struggles

The Scottish Executive plans to build a 6-lane elevated motorway through the southern suburbs of Glasgow. The M74 Northern Extension, would cost about £375-500 million and would be the most expensive transport project in Scotland.
JAM74, a coalition of community, environmental and sustainable transport groups, believes this 1960s-style road planning will cause pollution, health problems, community breakdown and won't free up traffic or bring the jobs that are promised and calls for a halt to the road plans and independant research on alternative transport options.

The Scottish Executive plans to build a 6-lane elevated motorway through the southern suburbs of Glasgow. The M74 Northern Extension, at £375-500 million the most expensive transport project in Scotland, would be raised on 40 feet concrete stilts for parts of its journey from Carmyle in the east to Kingston in the city centre.

JAM74, a coalition of community, environmental and sustainable transport groups, believes this 1960s-style road planning will cause pollution, health problems, community breakdown and won't free up traffic or bring the jobs that are promised.

JAM74 is calling for a halt to the road plans and for a comprehensive study of all transport options for the area. There has yet to be any independent research on alternative transport options or the effects of the motorway on communities and the environment.

More information here.

The story so far:

In November 1999, the Scottish executive told Glasgow City Council to review its proposal for the M74, because of the "substanial volumes of car commuting", that would be carried on the road; the Executive said that Glasgow should "review alternative transport solutions for the area."
But after a year of relentless lobbying from business groups the Executive agreed in January 2001 to pay 214 million pounds towards the road's cost, before the study commissioned into alternatives had even begun.
In 2003, it has emerged that the motorway would in fact cost anywhere between 375 and 500 million pounds, making it by far Scotland's largest singöe project.
The road plan was published in March 2003.






Joint Action against M74 is a coalition of community, environmental and sustainable transport groups.

Member organisations of JAM74 include:
Terrace Community Council, Pollokshields Commmmunity Council, Residents against the M74,Friends of the Earth Glasgow, Go Bike! Strathclyde Cycle Campaign, Railfuture, Scottish Association for Public Transport, the Scottish Green party, the Scottish Socialist Party, TRANSform Scotland

More information:
JAM74
PO Box 3751
Glasgow
G42 8WR

 http://uk.geocities.com/jam74_uk

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  1. audio interview with JAM74 campaigner — ab