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Why The Western Bypasses Wouldn't Benefit The West Midlands
A Briefing by The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), West Midlands, March 2003
Background
The Multi Modal Studies were
set up in 1998 by the incoming Labour Government which had inherited a large
road building programme which was neither sustainable, affordable or provided
long term solutions. The aim of the Studies was to learn the lessons of the
past and to weed out poor performing road schemes. They were expected to provide
a significant steer towards investment in public transport and other alternatives
and reduce overall traffic.
Ironically they have resulted in highly expensive check lists of schemes with inadequate commitment to delivery from public transport providers (particularly rail) and wishful thinking on demand management which lacks teeth, because of a reluctance to grasp the charging nettle, insufficient effort to deal with revenue versus capital funding issues, and a lack of faith that behavioural change works, despite convincing evidence from schemes like TravelSMART.
The Multi Modal Studies have failed to address the long term land use implications of the transport solutions they suggest. This has led to a major mismatch between the land use goals in the region of reducing the exodus of people from the cities - with all the social implications that implies - and a dramatic increase in road capacity outside cities.
The Highways Agency is promoting large scale road building. This includes widening the M6 in Staffordshire and M42 in Warwickshire. The West to East Midlands Multi Modal Study is likely to add widening the M42 to the M1 and significant upgrades to the A38. The Highways Agency has also got backing from the Regional Assembly Transport Forum for a study to demonstrate the need to widen the M6 in Warwickshire. It will be neither multi-modal or land use planning based. In effect it will be little different to the 1980s Thatcherite Predict and Provide approach.
There is a schizophrenia developing in Transport Policy in the West Midlands where we widen motorways across the countryside without addressing the congestion they cause, the impact on where people live and work, social exclusion or the environment.
The Western Bypasses
The Western Bypasses of Wolverhampton
and Stourbridge (from the M5 to the M6 in Staffordshire) were proposed as part
of the West Midlands Area Multi-Modal Study roughly along the line of the old
Western Orbital Motorway (map attached). Their official justification was to
regenerate the Black Country. A further more detailed Black Country Regeneration
Study was undertaken to try and prove this for the Panel which convened to examine
the Regional Planning Guidance.
Having considered all this evidence the Independent RPG panel agreed entirely with residents and environmentalists that the bypasses would not achieve their goal. At best they would have no impact on the Black Country and at worst they would positively encourage forces of decentralisation undermining its economy because:
1. The Bypasses would fail to regenerate the Black
Country
The bypasses are not well
connected to areas of industrial potential and need within the Black Country,
almost all of which are to the East. Unless you drive new dual carriageways
through the suburbs - which would be neither acceptable or desirable - they
are disconnected from the regeneration zones in the core of the subregion which
will still be served by the M5/M6.
2. Green Belt development would be encouraged along
the route
The draft RPG restricts housing
in the Green Belt, but an allowance is made for industrial development. If too
many sites are identified in the Green Belt they will inevitably undermine the
case for redeveloping urban sites, especially where there are additional decontamination
costs. Wolverhampton Business Airport would also seek to take advantage of the
bypasses to promote their aspiration for passenger numbers equaling Birmingham
International. This would put undue pressure on the land use planning system
and run counter to the Government's policy of planning to reduce the need to
travel. It would also undermine urban regeneration initiatives in the conurbation
which was used to launch the Government's vision for urban areas at the Urban
Summit.
3. The bypasses would fail to improve overall traffic
times into the Black Country
The Black Country Study found
that for most destinations the time-gain from the bypasses was less than a minute.
But even this didn't take into account capacity constraints on urban roads.
Ironically the areas which got the greatest time gains were those in or on the
edge of the Green Belt. They gained a competitive advantage over more urban
areas.
There is a need for improved access within the Black Country. The alternatives, many of which were explored in the West Midlands Multi-Modal Study, are for significant investment in busses, light and heavy rail and the introduction of Congestion Charging to restrain car use.
Some supporters claim the bypasses could reduce congestion on the M5/M6 leading to accessibility benefits. However such a 'third-removes' benefit is unlikely to materialise because of suppressed demand and traffic generation.
4. The Western Bypasses would have huge environmental
impacts
The whole of the Western Bypasses
route passes through the Green Belt. The landscape quality of the West of the
conurbation is widely acknowledged with popular views from places like the Clent
Hills. The impact of the new roads and of follow on development would be severe
as has been acknowledged in all the studies. Work on the Dudley Southern Link
Road has already demonstrated how further routes might impact on natural sites.
A key reason the former proposals for a Western Orbital Motorway were ditched was their environmental impact.
5. The bypasses would encourage an overall growth
in traffic
Roads around conurbations
are particularly liable to traffic generation but analysis of the Black Country
Bypasses has yet to adequately address this problem. The opportunity for generating
large amounts of traffic is clearly there. Many large traffic generating developments,
such as Merry Hill, exist and more could be expected, such as the proposed Ikea
at Longbridge.
6. The bypasses would compete for investment with
Public Transport
Without an infinite pot of
money an ever expanding roads programme must come at the expense of other modes
of transport. Given the evidence that the Western Bypasses would fail to deliver
regeneration there is a straightforward case for prioritising investment in
public transport inside the Black Country where the real problems are.
Produced by Gerald Kells, March
2003
Regional Policy Officer,
West Midlands CPRE,
55 Follyhouse Lane,
Walsall,
WS1 3EL
Email: gerald.kells@talk21.com