Eastern promise
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East Anglia's been the Cinderella of the regions for too long, says Ken Rogers, RHA national chairman and Eastern Area representative
AROUND £11,000m is spent annually on moving freight. Well over £10,000m of that goes on road freight — an indication of the reliance placed on hauliers by manufacturers.
So hauliers carry a big responsibility. The industry is diverse and complex, and has ever-expanding frontiers. Nowhere is this more true than in East Anglia, for long considered the Cinderella of English regions.
East Anglia has now come under the spotlight of industrial activity because it's near to our new trading partners in Europe.
Our fastest growing ports have been those facing our historic trading partners. First Bristol and the Liverpool handled our major trade route, the North Atlantic, and later Southampton took on this role. Today, such ports as Felixstowe and Harwich are experiencing levels of growth not seen in the history of maritime transport. The growth of the ro-ro traffic with the European industrial heartland across the North Sea has been racing ahead.
The older British ports, more suited to the handling of general cargoes by shore-based installations, have been overtaken. Containers are clearly one of the fastest-growing components in international haulage and the East Anglian ports are ideally suited to this growing form of transport.
It is quite likely that the massive growth of containerisation in the Third World will mostly benefit the East Coast and other modernised ports.
The level of transport infrastructure investment is crucial. As nine out of ten goods journeys are by road, roads are arguably the most important, and the most important in East Anglia is the A45.
Of all the East Coast ports which have grown as a result of the increase in EEC trade, Felixstowe, where the A45 starts, is perhaps the one most readily identified with the major growth in European transport, particularly road transport. Unfortunately works abroad have not been matched by a corresponding increase in investment in the roads in this country. Of particular concern is the very slow progress which is being made on this industrial trunk road.
The A45 winds its way through the heartland of England with great difficulty. Certainly some improvements have been made, but there are still many miles of this trade route to Europe which are sub-standard. Inadequate roads are not only uneconomic for the vehicles which must use them but they also bring attendant dangers and environmental nuisance.
Nearly ten years ago the A45 was described as -the longest lane in England.Operators who ,must use that essential corridor today would describe the situation as little changed over those ten years. The A45 must be seen as a vital industrial route and improved to a high
consistent standard with all deliberate speed. Such a route is of European importance and should be seen as eligible for grant aid from the European Infrastructure Fund.
The construction of this link, particularly the major improvement required in the region of the Al and the Ml, would provide a significant boost to our civil engineering industry and help to redress the imbalance of European spending.
While there is a temptation to see East Anglia in the context of a gateway to Europe and the world, there is, however, a need to remember its more basic, older industries and particularly the Importance of haulage to serve its extensive farming, agricultural and horticultural interest.
A thriving haulage industry is essential for a region where traditional interests provide the major economic base. The region is somewhat remote from its major markets and the service of transporting goods from farm to supermarket is mainly provided by the haulage industry.
East Anglia now occupies its rightful place near the top of the growth tables and the haulage industry would do well to support and encourage the continuing growth of this important region in the years ahead.