A24
Alliance
For Immediate Release 21 November 2008
Trunk Road White Elephant!
Reports that major works on the A24 are to be brought forward by 3 years have been met with scepticism by members of the A24 Alliance. Although originally programmed by the Regional Transport Board for a start in 2015/16. the announcement from West Sussex county council has stated that the £35million scheme, between Southwater and Ashington would now start in 2012/13.
Peter Finch for the A24 Alliance
commented: "Whilst we agree that the Regional Assembly's Regional Transport
Board has brought forward the timing of the scheme, Government funding for it is
not approved and of course it cannot start without that. Back in early 2007 the
Transport minister told the County Council, the promoters of the scheme, they
would have to produce a new business case. We believe this is because the
Government is not convinced that the scheme is a good idea. The A24 Alliance
definitely believes it's a bad scheme.
We maintain that the proposed
scheme will result in a M24 superhighway and will be seen by Government as the
costly and unnecessary white elephant we say it is. Our stated position is that
the County Council should only spend taxpayers’ money installing sensible safety
measures now, and not build flyovers and underpasses sometime in the distant
future costing vast millions that will only create a racetrack. We believe that
works promoted by the County Council will not help safety, but only mean that
the accidents that will happen will be more severe, killing and seriously
injuring far more than now (no one died on this stretch of road between 2005 and
2007 since speed reduction measures).
The A24 Alliance are confident that
if the Department for Transport carefully study this scheme they will see what
it really is, a mechanism to create an M24 under the guise of a safety scheme
and throw it out. The Regional Assembly, due to be abolished next year, should
reach the same conclusion after it has completed its own thorough review and
hopefully concludes the scheme is going nowhere. The sooner the County Council
realises that, and undertakes the small works safety measures needed, the better
for all us taxpayers".
ENDS