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What is the issue here? Everyone agrees something needs to be done. Is it simply a technical issue with the process or is there a fundamental flaw in the proposed solution?
Errrr ...
https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/our-campaign/our-campaign/
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This is a good summary of the issues around road-building (among other unsustainable transport policies):
I'll put it in the OP.
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A protest against the nonsense of 'smart motorways' with some info:
Motor traffic capacity should be reduced, not increased.
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I don't like this idea at all. Needless to say, the project of the new six-lane by-pass of the 'old road' is horrifying and should not proceed, but of course the status quo is also completely unacceptable, with the 'old' quasi-motorway in place. However, this is a very ancient road alignment and very valuable as such, e.g. for cycling. I'd be more in favour of the 'old' road being built back into a non-motorway-standard or non-near-motorway standard road than privatising the land even for this kind of use.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/21/a12-essex-cycle-park
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We can probably expect many more of these failures of 'modern' highway infrastructure built with a very short 'design life':
It's obviously not just happening in the US but all over Europe, too.
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Current state of play on 'smart' motorways:
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Some good news for a change:
I don't know if those 15 schemes that survived the cull are defensible, but 35/50 ain't bad.
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Mostly bad news on road-building, despite expert advice:
The CCC itself came under fire at Glastonbury from Prof Kevin Anderson, a climate physicist, who told the meeting that the committee based its findings on what was politically achievable rather than what was really needed to protect the climate. He argued that net zero was a flawed concept which allowed CO2 levels to continue to grow and gave firms a free pass to carry on emitting.
Ending 'smart' motorways is the lone bright spot, but it must be noted that instead of 'smart' motorways to increase motorway capacity, there may well be new motorway-building prompted by the scandals around 'safety'.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/15/rishi-sunak-scraps-plans-new-smart-motorways-england
The Stonehenge Tunnel has been given the go-ahead; still some legal proceedings to come, but I'm not hopeful it can be stopped.
Finally, the Lower Thames Crossing still looms on the horizon:
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Profoundly depressing--it is simply unbelievable that there will be a new bypass built. The tree is only the headline story and obviously wouldn't have stopped the road on its own under any circumstances.
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Right, well--as expected, the process has just been repeated:
Campaigners have lost a High Court challenge against renewed plans to build a road tunnel near Stonehenge.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-68338484
A commentary from Simon Jenkins. I find the angle about the visibility of the monument interesting, although I doubt that this will be the first priority on Starmer's mind if and when Labour win the next general election (my prediction would rather be that the decision won't be touched):
The first act of any Labour administration this year must be the immediate reversal of this week’s terrible decision.
Anyway, it's more frustration--road-building is coming back everywhere.
Alan_tbt-
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Road-building
Posted by
@Oliver Schick
A welcome reprieve, but I don't get too excited about judicial review. I've seen these succeed before, only for the authority in question to repeat the process, dotting the i-s and crossing the ts this time, and reaching the same decision. Well done to the campaigners, though, and I really hope that the next stage succeeds.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/30/high-court-victory-for-stonehenge-campaigners-as-tunnel-is-ruled-unlawful