North East infrastructure must not be upgraded on the cheap, the whole of the A1 must be dualled
A government road scheme has been described by an MEP as “trying to
upgrade North East transport on the cheap’”.
The proposed ‘expressways’ scheme would remove roundabouts and traffic
lights from some of the country’s A-roads, creating motorway-style slip roads
and junctions to ease traffic flow.
On the list of projects is turning the A1 north of Newcastle into such an
expressway. Restrictions are likely to be placed on the new class of road,
including new traffic rules and a ban on bicycles.
But UKIP Euro-MP Jonathan Arnott believes that the plan is fundamentally
flawed, because there is still no commitment to make the whole length of the A1
dual carriageway.
“The whole of the A1 must be dualled, with no exceptions. If they were
planning to do that, then I would be all for this new proposed ‘expressway’
which would help to cut journey times still further. But my worry is that once
again, the government is trying to upgrade North East transport on the
cheap.
The Chancellor’s ‘Northern economic powerhouse’ looks pretty shaky when
London has 25 times the public spending per capita on transport that we get here
in the North East.
“My simple message to the politicians in Westminster is this: Stop
expecting us to be grateful when we’re given the crumbs under the table after
London has had its share.”
UKIP has been campaigning for the dualling for the A1 and A69 for years,
since Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall’s announcement at the 2013 North East
Conference.
Mr Arnott has previously branded the single-carriageway A1 as ‘a
disgrace’ given that it is the main road between London and Edinburgh, saying
that development of business requires proper transport links.
The new expressways will be an entirely new road classification, intended
as a halfway house between an A-road and a motorway. Similar transport schemes
exist already in Italy, Holland, Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic.
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