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ROADS ARE NO BETTER

20th December 2007
Page 19
Page 19, 20th December 2007 — ROADS ARE NO BETTER
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Yo ho ho and all that — but don't expect cheer from CM'S resident Grinch, because L Radley is feeling distinctly unseasonable...

It's been a while since I've run the A66 from Scotch Corner to Penrith. In fact, I've been rather glad to see the back of it, as last time was in the height of the roadworks for its upgrade. Having witnessed and suffered that chaos, it was with great anticipation that I set out last week. Would the new and improved road be a revelation? Fr... no. What a letdown. Starting from the Al , there is a very fetching stretch of dual carriageway and it's all still a lethal, winding alley. full of promise. Until you get to the narrow bit past the Fox pub, that is, at which point it's as if the constructors decided 'it was all a bit to much effort, so nothing has changed.

The short section by Barnard Castle is now long enough to get past the supermarket dodderer at the front of the queue, but only just. And why anybody felt the need to build a new section of dual straight through a tarn further on, I have no idea. Maybe there were engineering awards in the offing, because that had been one of the better stretches and didn't really need attention.

Over the moors past Stainmore, we reach the lethal, winding alley through Warcop. And it's still a lethal, winding alley. Temple Sowerby has a spanking new bypass, conveniently depriving the various pubs and hotels of their passing trade in a bid to save an iddy-diddy humpback bridge from big, scary trucks. It sure as hell wasn't to help the traffic flow, because it comes to a grinding halt for the last section into Penrith.

Meanwhile Kirby Thore is left to the mercies of us all, complete with its blind bend and terrifying gypsum factory access to ensure hours of summer misery next year, when big lorry meets badly loaded caravan.

Still, this is the season of goodwill, so I must be generous. I therefore propose to go back to spending as much time as possible running south through the equally pointless and expensive Al Wetherby bypass. Given the number of attempt that have been made to get it right, I assume that it has come up on the National Curriculum as this year GCSE coursewort Again. Ah, well, at least it'll be coming out of the Education budget instead of Transport. Merry Christmas.

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