io stopping roads
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ICE a traffic forecast has justiH:1 the need for a new rtorway, there is no way of Ipping the plan, the Transport 00 director Nick Lester imed last week.
;peaking to the House of mmons Transport Committee uiry into the 1980 White )er on English roads policy, said: "Too many decisions political. Once a traffic ecast says there's a need for a id, there's an automatic desire build the road as soon as the iney is available."
le went on to say that many mmunities would rather close school or an old persons' me than accept traffic congest.),
mination of the need for the M25 London orbital route has ever been undertaken. He felt that the economics and environmental effects should have been examined carefully.
Mr Lester said that Transport 2000, which draws 75 per cent of its £22,000 income from British Rail and the three rail unions,
supports the Government's objectives in trying to improve the economy and environment, but it doubts whether the plans contained in the White Paper will lead towards this.
Acting Committee chairman Peter Fry (Conservative, Wellingborough) asked whether people in Corby were wrong in saying that improved roads are needed to save their town. Mr Lester said he has yet to see any evidence that roads would save Corby.
And Transport 2000 vice-chairman Alan Howard said that a Bradford survey failed to find any company which came into the area because of improved roads.
Mr Lester suggested that all transport capital projects should be assessed on an equitable basis. It was wrong to use cost benefit analysis for roads, and return on capital criteria for the electrification of railways.
"It should all be done on a likefor-like basis," he said, and added that railways electrification would show a better rate of return than the recently approved North Devon link road, When Mr Fry commented that there is often a strong local demand for a new road, Mr Lester pointed out that there was strong local support for a bypass at Faringdon in Oxford before it was built, but now many complain about the loss of passing business.
"Not everyone living in Faringdon is a businessman," commented Southall Labour MP Syd Bidwell,