Skip to content or view screen version

Extend the M62?

Scott of the anarchic | 15.01.2005 01:13 | Liverpool

Liverpool council is to try and increase capacity on Edge Lane, essentially making it an extension of the M62.

I was trawling through some old posts on the subject of traffic and came across some stuff on the newsham thread.

Essenially, it has been proved that more traffic means more mental health problems. As a medical person myself, I see the effects of pollution on such people as asthma sufferers. The increase in car use must be tackled - and soon. Anyone who saw the evidence presented by BBC2's Horizon should understand that unless we tackle this it may not just be our kids who suffer, we may too when we are old.

If this research mentioned in the Newsham thread is true, then the situation for those in the Old Swan area and those closer to town on Edge Lane will get worse and then expect real problems. Liverpool is being divided by those who want to see ghettos in the north with prosperity on the south. This needs to be stopped. Let's face it - it is only us on the left who will raise this issue.

Scott of the anarchic

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

M62

15.01.2005 12:46

The M62 was originally intended to continue to the city centre - have a look at  http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/62.shtml - hence the numbering of the first junction as 5.

Personally I doubt that the additional capacity is needed - although I live in Liverpool and work outside so I travel in the opposite direction to everyone else. The plans for the Liverpool Inner Motorway are illuminating of the attitute of the era, as is the statement that noone should have to walk for more then three minutes after parking their car.

We do seem to be getting a lot of new car parks at the moment...

me
- Homepage: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/62.shtml


Transport and People

16.01.2005 13:15

The people who will experience the most pollution will benefit the least in terms of transport in this latest "road improvement". If you compare Edge Lane's frequency of bus service to Smithdown Road's, it is clear that there is little provision for those using public transport. Peak time bus lanes are an essential part of any plan to encourage people to switch onto the bus for their commute into the city centre.

I share the concerns Scott has after watching the Horizon programme. It's quite clear we are in a much tougher situation than many people assumed. It continues to shock me that we are not able to implement local traffic reduction schemes (now overdue by a year in Liverpool City Centre) and that internationally, Blair has been trying to reduce the European commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, to bring us in line with the US.

There is a certain amount of personal change and direct action you can take on CO2 emissions and climate change such as buying Green Electricity or using public transport, but decisions are dominated by those in the political and industrial sphere. We can only achieve real progress by making changes in the political arena.

Any government that runs away from putting 3p on the price of petrol despite a massive political lead over its principle opponents, can't be trusted to make tough decisions on CO2 emissions. Shockingly, it was the Tories that introduced the Fuel Price Escalator, and it is Labour who has run away from implementing these rises.

Peter Cranie
mail e-mail: info@liverpoolgreenparty.org.uk