Monday 8 December 2014

Money to burn! A road building bonanza marks the end of austerity?

£15 billion to spend on vanity roads projects around the country is a clear indication that the government has given up on any serious attempts to solve congestion.


Ignoring the evidence, and years of direct experience that shows how new roads crate new traffic, government has decided to throw money we don’t have at environmentally destructive roads schemes.  These will make congestion worse throughout the country – especially in Sussex with the A27 proposals. 

Look out for the inevitable consequences.  You may be able to speed around Arundel (having created a swathe of damage through ancient woodland and across the Arun valley), but the increased traffic will then simply stack up elsewhere.  Imagine any part of Sussex where the traffic is already high.  These will all become congested.  Towns, cities, villages, country roads, even current main roads (think how busy the Washington roundabout is at present) will all get jammed with inevitable demands for yet more roads.  More roads, more traffic and then demand for more roads.  A familiar and circular treadmill that we’ve been around so many times before.  There really is no excuse for anyone thinking that this will cure congestion.

It’s a huge waste of public money that could so much better be spent productively.

Cost-benefit analyses of these proposals, even when heavily loaded in favour of new roads, struggle to reach a two to one return on investment – and that’s with economic benefits exaggerated and environmental costs ignored.  Compare that to investments that enhance nature (when economists bother to do the sums).  When conservatively costing the benefits to people from improving the natural functioning of rivers, and the benefits to nature, we often find a return of 6:1.  Environment Agency flood defence schemes are expected to achieve 8:1.  A costing of the public benefits of the Forestry Commissions public forests returned about 20:1.  International studies have shown that protected areas for nature return between 10:1 and 100:1 against investment.

£15 billion spent on roads will fail, wasting tax-payers money and cause economic loss rather than benefit.  But even if take a glowingly optimistic return, it will struggle to deliver £30bn in public benefit.  The same amount invested in nature, like for example in a public forest estate, could deliver £300bn in public benefit.


It happens frequently – governments give up on evidence and write themselves anecdotes to support what they wanted to do anyway.  Eventually reality will raise its head and more sensible policies have to prevail.  But that could be after another round of irreversible environmental damage and another cohort of angry business leaders annoyed at being hood-winked by false promises.

2 comments:

Becky Reynolds said...

Hi Tony, I'm a member of SWT. I agree that the benefits of the roads are exaggerated out of proportion and without objective reckoning. Information from the recent governmental Environmental Audit report is that 29,000 people are dying each year due to poor air quality, largely due to vehicle emissions. We also have a lot of obesity, diabetes and a major Public Health problem due to the epidemic of inactivity. I don't want to see wildlife habitats destroyed for roads which are also harmful to human health. Let's use these funds more skillfully to enable more transport choice. Please continue to speak out. Best wishes, Becky.

John said...

Oh how right you are Tony and sadly it would appear Arundel is the main target for most of the £350million earmarked for the Arundel to Polegate section of the A27.
If allowed to be built, this motorway in all but name would continue on from the Crossbush junction, over the water meadows and river Arun on a massive viaduct, before smashing through the Binsted wood complex. Cost in money terms ca £230 million, cost in terms of environmental damage and the setting of Arundel, ruinous.

At Worthing and Lacing the two MP’s are routing for a whacking great four lane dual carriageway on the line of the present two lane and narrow four lane road. However with Arundel and the £75million ear marked for the Lewes – Polegate section eating up much of the £350million, it would seem there’s little chance of that madcap scheme going forward. Junction improvements and the selective widening option more likely. But could that be the cunning plan all along.
With Arundel built (dread the thought) and the resultant traffic increase, a minor scheme at Worthing would soon be overwhelmed. So what to do? Please don’t say build a bypass through the downs.