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Newbury reunion

Hugh Warwick | 08.01.2006 11:30

10 years ago - 9th January 1996 - work started to build the Newbury by-pass. And yesterday afternoon a small band of veterans held short memorial on the site and a candle vigil at Donnington Castle.




Research published by Roadblock has confirmed what the campaigners said all along - this disastrous and destructive road has not improved things one little bit. And will the government do it all again? Well they will if we let them!

Hugh Warwick
- e-mail: hedgehoghugh@hotmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.urchin.info/gallery

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Feeling nostalgic yet?

09.01.2006 03:05

There's a real live eviction going on just about now about 500 km to the east
Http://www.direkte-aktie.net/cms/groenfront.php?itemid=301
and
Http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2006/01/33394.shtml

Boomknuffelaar

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Failure ?

09.01.2006 08:15

The irony is that post build analysis by Greenpeace showed a 37% drop in vehicle emmisions within the two major Newbury schools, a 14% increase in road traffic speeds at peak times and what did Greepeace do with this information ? Bury it and hope nobody would see. Thanks to the ethics of Greenpeace employee Ben Carter the info was released.

Not all - some - but not all road building is wrong

The people of Newbury wanted the by-pass though.

09.01.2006 10:15

The people of Newbury wanted the by pass though to take heavy road traffic out of their historic town. The main road through Newbury was far too narrow for the huge volume of traffic passing through it.

Concerned

Huge traffic growth in Newbury revealed

09.01.2006 13:02

A report by W S Atkins, commissioned by West Berkshire council, has revealed the huge amount of traffic growth in Newbury, caused by the Newbury Bypass. In the first in depth study into the impacts of the controversial road, it backs up what everyone in Newbury knows and what campaigners predicted 10 years ago - that Newbury is still grid locked at rush hours, and the road has generated huge amounts of traffic.

Since the bypass opened in 1998 and up to 2003, traffic nationally has grown by around 5%. However in Newbury on the old road, and the new bypass, traffic growth of 50% has been experienced. Congestion at the rush hour is even worse than the pre-bypass days. Public transport usage is very low in Newbury, and it remains a heavily car dependent town.

The Conservative MP, Richard Benyon, is apparently now calling for a 3rd bypass of the town, to the East, as the bypass has failed already within years of opening.

Please see  http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/2006-01-09.htm for a press release and full set of links for the W S Atkins report and original traffic projections.

Please read the Atkins report here:
 http://www.westberks.gov.uk/WestBerkshire/transport.nsf/pages/NewburyM114721.html

Road Block
mail e-mail: office@roadblock.org.uk
- Homepage: http://www.roadblock.org.uk

Roadblock press release

09.01.2006 14:30

For more information about the reality of the by-pass:

 http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/2006-01-09.htm

Hugh

FoE press release

09.01.2006 14:31

 http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/10_years_on_newbury_bypass_09012006.html

Hugh

narrow roads

09.01.2006 18:07

Some people in Newbury wanted the 'bypass', others didn't. Heavy road traffic through the town was temporarily relieved by the new road, then filled up again, helped by all the infill development that always happens next to new roads. Also, as the government's SACTRA report stated, building new roads leads to more traffic and journeys, and therefore need for more new roads, etc etc, until we doom ourselves. So your sceptical comments are a red herring, no surprise there. If you want to see how there's now more traffic rather than just keep your head in the sand, read  http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/2006-01-09.htm

dumbfuck

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