Blog
Is the Lower Thames Crossing the New HS2?
HS2 has become shorthand for infrastructure failure in the UK. Sadly, lessons have not been learnt, and the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) could soon become the new poster child for infrastructure project failure. Mile for mile, the LTC is likely to be more expensive than HS2. The latest LTC cost estimate is £11 billion for 14.3 miles of ‘smart’ motorway and tunnel, making it £769 million per mile. Remarkably, construction has started on the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) without a...
Labour to privatise new roads
Despite a drubbing at the local elections in England, a wipeout in Wales, and a poor showing in Scotland, Keir Starmer and his government seem determined to press ahead regardless. ...
Delivering change requires more than words
There has been a lot of talk about “delivering change” with the Government publishing a number of new strategies and guidance recently and as we approach elections in May. Why should we believe what politicians say, you might think, when we’ve been promised change before? The last time was in...
RIS3: Stuck on the wrong road?
It has been a busy time for roads campaigners: the Department for Transport published its £27bn 5-year roads plan (2026-2031, known as RIS3) at the end of March and on the same day also approved 16 local road schemes, including the controversial Norwich Western Link. While the RIS3 headlines focused...
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When in a hole…
This week road users were faced with the news (not that they needed telling) that the maintenance backlog on local roads (and pavements) is now up to a staggering £18.6bn. Despite all the spin from Keir Starmer and his government about putting more money into fixing potholes, things are getting...
The Fight for Queensbury Tunnel
The campaign to save Queensbury Tunnel is an excellent example of how local people coming together with a shared vision can form an incredibly powerful voice when faced with short-sighted political decisions. Background: An Engineering Marvel Built by Great Northern Railway and opened in 1878, Queensbury Tunnel stretches 1.4 miles...
‘Smart’ motorway reports expose costly failure
After much delay, National Highways has finally published the evaluation reports for 16 ‘smart’ motorways. As expected, they showed that almost all of the ‘smart’ motorways had been costly failures. Instead of delivering a predicted £10 billion of economic benefits, they delivered under £2bn, which is less than they cost...