Don't know much of the M1 as I don't drive, but I guess general issues to consider:

Congestion usually causes more pollution than free-flowing traffic, due to increased petrol consumption at low speeds, and drivers being unwilling to turn engines off when at a standstill.

Therefore, the argument that a new road, or widening scheme may reduce emissions has some validity.

However, is the widening going to accommodate current traffic levels and projected future ones, and if so, for how long?

Free-flowing traffic is likely to encourage more use of motorway by car, lorry, coach driver.

Even if road-building can keep up with growing car use, this seems a sticking-plaster remedy, rather than a real attempt to address our transport crisis.

Although I'm sure it will create jobs, even if they are minimum wage McJobs like at service stations where you pay a fiver for a sandwich.

Other damage roads cause include loss of hedgerows, farmland, woodland, etc. which provide habitats for animal, bird, insect and plant life. + noise pollution. + rise in road traffic massacre rate. + use of non-renewables to build the road. + use of dodgy construction contractors to build it. + need for increase in regular maintenance. + necessity for forced buy-outs where widening needs to encroach on land owned by private individuals.

Admit I don't know the issue too well off the top of my head, but my initial view - well, no sir, I don't like it.

This is something that has come out of SWYMMS (The South and West Yorkshire Multi-Modal Study ) With a name like that you'd think that it would examine all the options for providing mobility but somehow it got subverted into "let's stick a few extra lanes on the M1".

Even the DfT admits that it's a sticking-plaster policy - the extra lanes if built will be full within 10 years. Motorways are fabulously expensive to build and usually run over-budget (Sheffield's NIRR, which by the way I cautiously support as it will improve accessibility for all users to North Sheffield whilst not actually providing any more road space for private cars than there currently is, is costing 60 million - double original estimates - and is running 1 million over budget due to problems with the Wicker viaduct) - whilst railways are relatively cheap to provide (the West Coast Main Line upgrade, of which much has been made of the horrendous cost over-runs, is still cheaper per mile than building new motorway) Meanwhile communities along the M1 will have to put up with further reduced air quality, and all the extra traffic that will be produced - vehicles have to get to and from the M1 somehow. Extra capacity on motorways also encourages people to use them for short journeys that they could easily do by bus, train, even bike (Especially when combined with other modes, e.g. bike + train)

There are number of rail schemes that the govenrment has refused to support - e.g. the Great Central - from the Channel Tunnel to Liverpool, via Sheffield & Manchester, which could take a massive number of lorries off the roads, East Coast Main Line upgrades
Ivanhoe Line from Loughborough to Burton-on-Trent, an additional line between Sheffield and Leeds for epxress services - all of which would be cheaper than expanding the motorway for short-term gain. Also a lot of light rail schemes are currently in jeopardy - Leeds, Manchester & extensions in Sheffield for example.

Alastair is pinning his hopes on having a workable road user charging scheme in place in ten year's time, which why he's allowed this short-term solution to go through - obviously with his eye on the motorist lobby at election rime as well.

The influential NGO's have been making these points for some years, without having any impact on govt. policy. So now is the time for direct action. Please support this campaign.

Simon Geller
Yorkshire and the Humber Transport Round-Table.

Transport in this country is the biggest joke on the planet! I have been to Chile where they have an integrated transport system that is cheap, efficient and more to the point works! Why if Britain is the 4th richest country people have to suffer to try and better themselves. The M1 needs widening. Train companies need consolidation or nationalising. Car parks at stations need to be enlarged and a cheap ticket system is needed so you can park and take a punctual spacious train to commute all on the same season ticket. At the moment it is £120 month (going up in the new year) or £330 quarter (going up in the new year). Also as for a season ticket for the train to Leeds. Well there doesn't appear to be one! Why not have one ticket £220, month that includes parking and train? !

I write all this in the context of a commuter from Sheffield to Leeds. If such items were done then Sheffielders could work in a place only 35 miles away without ageing fast or stressing over travel.