BRF hits out at Govt
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THE GOVERNMENT's "relaxed" attitude to road building came in for heavy criticism last week, when British Road Federation economist Shaun Leslie spoke to a South Wales meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Speaking at Abergavenny, Mr Leslie said it was "ludicrous" for Transport Secretary David Howell to be proud that work on 35 by-passes will start this year, when 35 should be started in each county.
He said that there will be an increase of between 50 and 75 per cent in traffic volume over the next 30 years, in spite of Government claims that the need for new roads has diminished.
He said that £5,000m still needs to be spent on trunk roads and another £8,000m on local roads, and pointed out that although the inter-urban trunk network is nearly complete, major gaps still exist, including the A55, M20, and M40. But he added: "In contrast, the network in our towns and cities is in an appalling state. London, alone, needs to spend about £3,000m to make good its road system which is virtually unchanged since the 19th century."
Mr Leslie said that road users already pay £6,000m more in taxes than is spent on roads, and this money could be used to achieve 25 years' shortfall in only two and a half years.