More road investment
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THE ROAD BUILDING programme is to get extra cash in the years ahead, Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley has pledged.
He told MPs this week that spending on the trunk road and motorway building programme in 1984/85 would be 13 per cent higher — or 6 per cent in real terms — at £805m. The overall increase would be 17 per cent higher in 1985-86 and 22 per cent higher in 1986-87.
Mr Ridley said the Government had rejected the idea of motorway tolls, but he gave no indication of whether it was interested in the novel idea put forward by the British Road Federation of tax-free bonds for pop stars (CM. January 14).
However, both Mr Ridley and Opposition spokesman John Prescott had some fun at the BRF's expense during question time when Mr Prescott asked whether the Government envisaged: "Tom Jones coming from his tax haven and speeding down to Wales on the Tom Jones motorway".
Mr Ridley joked that he expected Tom Jones speeded down motorways in any case.
On a more serious note, Transport Minister Lynda Chalker said she still expected the M25 to be completed by the autumn of 1986.