Photo: Flyview - Save Rimrose Valley Hands Across the Valley demonstration

We've been overwhelmed by many of the supportive comments on social media and the CrowdJustice website itself, to which we say a big thank you. Below are some quotes from organisations who support what we are doing:

Edward Leigh, Leader of Smarter Cambridge Transport

"Transport Action Network's move to challenge the Department for Transport's Road Investment Strategy 2 is hugely important and sadly necessary. The Chancellor's budget announcement of "27 billion pounds of tarmac" is bizarrely at odds with DfT's statement of principles in its Future of Mobility report and with the government's commitment to de-carbonise the economy by 2050. With transport now generating the largest portion of domestic carbon emissions, it cannot be right to be building more road capacity, which can only lead to increases in vehicle-miles, energy consumption, pollution and carbon emissions."

Jenny Bates, campaigner at Friends of the Earth

"Pushing ahead with a massive road-building programme completely destroys any pretence of the UK being a world leader in fighting the climate crisis, or of bringing the clean air we all need. More roads will only mean more traffic, and more planet and health-wrecking emissions being pumped into the air. The government needs to ditch its dangerous fixation with roadbuilding, and instead boost clean transport options such as trains, trams, bicycles and buses."

John Stewart award-winning environmental campaigner and former chair of ALARM UK

"I believe this challenge has ever chance of succeeding. I can see no evidence the Government has looked at its plans for roads in the light of its Paris commitments. It could signal the end of this destructive £28bn roads programme."

Lisa Hopkinson, Associate, Transport for Quality of Life

"I strongly support this challenge to prevent a programme that will only lock traffic and carbon in for years to come at a time when we should be doing everything we can to address the climate emergency. The money allocated for road building can be much more wisely spent on measures that help people avoid travel or travel in ways that are better for their health and the environment."

Mel Evans, climate campaigner for Greenpeace UK

"When the President of the Automobile Association is calling for investment in broadband to reduce the use of 'inefficient, expensive and not good for the environment' motorways, and the Transport Secretary is celebrating the lack of cars on the roads, the government's massive road building programme is clearly out of step with the times as well as the Paris Agreement. This case has more than just the law on its side, and could be a huge step forward for the nation's health and the planet's climate."

Paul Miner, Strategic Planning Lead, CPRE

"The major new roadbuilding programme proposed by the DfT takes us in exactly the opposite direction that we need to be going to tackle the climate emergency. But it would also leave in its wake a whole new generation of poorly designed housing estates sprawling across the countryside, and compel people to rely on cars at the expense of their health and wellbeing. We urge Ministers to scrap this programme and reconsider."

Roger Geffen, Policy Director, Cycling UK

"Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP says his 'vision' for the Government's Transport Decarbonisation Plan is a future in which "We will use our cars less", with public transport and active travel being "the natural first choice for our daily activities". Yet so far his Government has announced £27.4bn for England's motorways and trunk roads, and not a penny of earmarked funding this year for cycling and walking infrastructure. Given its legal obligations to decarbonise the economy, we shouldn't have to bring legal challenges to get the Government to rethink its transport funding priorities. However, if that's what it takes, so be it."

Tony Whitbread, President of Sussex Wildlife Trust

"A road building bonanza is the last thing this country needs right now, destroying nature and adding greenhouse gases. It's no fit agenda for the 21st century when we have a clear overriding need to address the climate and ecological emergency. That's why this legal action is so important."

West Sussex Cycle Forum

"WSCF wholeheartedly supports this initiative by TAN. Experience shows that trying to build our way out of congestion and pollution always produces more vehicles on the roads than forecast - both the new and existing roads. Instead of allocating massive amounts of resources - time, effort, and money - WSCF believes that a similar scale of investment into active travel will result in reduced cost for the NHS/Social Care sector, a healthier population (mentally, physically, socially), a boost for the very local economy, and a significantly better benefit-to-cost ratio than roads.''