I came home from holiday on Sunday and I was catching up with the local news by reading the weekly local papers. The Friday paper has a headline about the Morecambe link road and it may still be going ahead (see yesterday's blog). There is significant support from businesses and from our MP. There is less support from the Green Party who will not be on friendly terms with civil engineers and a local pressure group is vociferous for its environmental and financial concerns - and there is a NIMBY factor. The leader of this pressure group tells us that he did not believe the new road would ease congestion or create jobs. A Green Councillor thinks it would be "crazy" to spend money like this just to save ten minutes on a journey. A local businessman told us his wagons could spend an hour extra on the road at the start and end of each day.
Does it take ten minutes or an hour to get through Lancaster? The answer is yes. It depends on how busy the roads are and I have documented my longest journey to the motorway which was far in excess of an hour. Will it create jobs? It is obvious to me that businesses will only thrive in Morecambe and Heysham if the infrastructure is present. Will the new road ease congestion? There is no doubt that it will be easier to get to the motorway and every vehicle that uses this route is one vehicle less through Lancaster. I hope the economy continues to grow and there is more wealth in society, in which case there may be more vehicles on the road so congestion may build up again. However, certainly in the short and medium term congestion will decrease in Lancaster.
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Isn't it funny how all the ...or the bulk of the opponents of the link road..live on the Lancaster side of the river, and don't have to time their journey's right to ensure minimum waiting/queueing time?
ReplyDeleteMy partner would rather have got up at 5am, and set off within the hour, than wait until 7am to go to work and get stuck in the morning snarl.
If I have the liberty to choose what time I go into Lancaster, I avoid peak times, or take the train/bus. As once you get there...eventually...you need to park..and LCC charge silly amounts for parking.
I think the link road should become fact as soon as possible, not just for me, but for the properity ogf any businesses that are unlucky enough to be sited on the Morecambe side of the Lune.
Maybe when the link road is built...fingers crossed...Morecambe will become a good place to live....again! [although I like it now :D]