Blog ARCHIVE
£1.3bn of spending already committed to by National Highways for the Stonehenge Tunnel
New Civil Engineer: £1.3bn of spending already committed to by National Highways for the Stonehenge Tunnel Contracts worth £1.3bn have been signed by National Highways for the construction of the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme which has a total estimated capital cost figure of £1.7bn. Known as the Stonehenge...
Don’t declare war on public health
The news that Labour has apparently scrapped its commitment to roll out clean air zones across the country is worrying if true. According to the Royal College of Physicians, air pollution is responsible for around 40,000 premature deaths and costs the UK over £20bn every year. It has been linked...
Transport in the headlights
Hardly a week goes by without there being some momentous story involving transport. As with most things at present, evidence or rationality often plays little part in the debate. This is despite many of these issues having far reaching consequences affecting public health, inequalities and often involving vast sums of...
Green group says HGV levy return is ‘too little, too late’
Logistics Manager: Green group says HGV levy return is ‘too little, too late’ The Climate Change Committee’s latest report expressed concern that freight emissions are higher than 2019 and that risks to decarbonising the sector have only grown. Currently, only 0.4% of HGVs are ‘zero emission’, which is compared to...
New legal challenge to Stonehenge tunnel begins
The Construction Index: New legal challenge to Stonehenge tunnel begins Opponents of the planned road tunnel under the Stonehenge World Heritage Site have taken their first step in a legal challenge to the development consent order. Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site, a Sussex-based campaign group that has been set up...
MPs urge: Use roads funding to fix potholes, not encourage more car use
edie: MPs urge: Use roads funding to fix potholes, not encourage more car use The call to action is the conclusion of a new report on whether the UK’s current strategic road investment plans are well-designed, published this week by the Transport Committee in the House of Commons. Under the...
MPs publish damning report on flagship roads programme
MPs publish damning report on Government's flagship roads programme Welcoming today's publication of the Transport Committee's report [1] on its Strategic Road Investment inquiry, which Transport Action Network (TAN) gave oral and written evidence to [2], Chris Todd, director of TAN, said: "This is yet another damning report for the...
Shelve Major New Roads To Fix Potholes Instead, Transport Committee Tells DfT
Forbes: Shelve Major New Roads To Fix Potholes Instead, U.K. Parliament’s Transport Committee Tells DfT An influential group of British MPs has told the Department for Transport (DfT) that “future investment [in major roads] should focus more on maintenance and renewal rather than brand new projects.” Instead, the Tory-led transport...
TAN press statement on A303 Stonehenge approval
TAN statement on A303 Stonehenge approval Today, the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, has given the go ahead to the dual carriageway and tunnel through the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge [1]. Rebecca Lush, TAN's roads and climate campaigner, said: "Just as the Climate Change Committee has recommended that new roads...
Stonehenge road tunnel plans approved by transport secretary
The Guardian: Stonehenge road tunnel plans approved by transport secretary Plans for a controversial road tunnel at Stonehenge have been approved by the government. The transport secretary, Mark Harper, has granted a development consent order for a scheme to widen roads and dig a two-mile tunnel near the ancient site....
Highway Code updates, LTNs, and 20mph zones behind cyclist fatalities falling
Road.cc: Highway Code updates, low traffic neighbourhoods, and 20mph zones behind cyclist fatalities falling to lowest number in 30 years, says Cycling UK Cycling UK has claimed that an increasing number of road safety measures, including the introduction of liveable neighbourhoods, 20mph zones, and last year’s updates to the Highway...
Government’s failings driven home
After years of (too) subtle hints about the Government’s road building programme, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has strongly recommended a Welsh-style roads review for England. Its 2023 annual progress report to parliament was pretty damning, but especially so on transport. It tore into the lie that we can decarbonise...
Revealed: National Highways spend on legal fees to defend its RIS2 road schemes
New Civil Engineer: Revealed: National Highways spend on legal fees to defend its RIS2 road schemes National Highways has spent £330,000 on legal fees for six of Roads Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) schemes, including more than £200,000 on its A303 Stonehenge tunnel, a freedom of information request from NCE has...
Time for a roads reset, climate advisers say
Highways Magazine: Time for a roads reset, climate advisers say The Government’s climate change advisers have thrown down a challenge to its road building plans, advising that it should review projects to assess their consistency with its environmental goals and ensure that they do not lock in unsustainable levels of...
Call for English roads review welcomed
Call for English roads review welcomed In response to today's publication of the Climate Change Committee's 2023 Progress Report to Parliament [1], Transport Action Network's director, Chris Todd said: "We welcome the climate committee's call for an urgent review of England's roads programme. Having spent the last three years challenging...
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