Doubt over road benefits
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• Building roads does not guarantee more new jobs, according to a new report by a Government think-tank. The Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment (SACTRA) report seems to put paid to the long-held belief that road building leads to job creation and helps regenerate rundown areas.
SACTRA points to Skelmersdale where three major employers pulled out in spite of major road improvements to the town. In another example, businesses in the City of London saw their profits improve when roads were closed for security reasons.
However, the Freight Transport Association quickly moved to contradict the findings, saying there is an undeniable link between the economy, jobs and good roads. "This was something the Romans knew 2,000 years ago and has not changed since," says the FTA.
The SACTRA findings are expected to be included in the Government's white paper on integrated transport—they put pressure on Labour to freeze further road building projects.