Why we must not rush the Link Road
Our area has some significant transport concerns.
It takes much longer to travel by train from Bexhill or Battle to London than from Brighton, despite it being a similar distance. Travel westwards from here is difficult without taking in the car park better known as the M25. And most visibly, road travel between Hastings and Bexhill is time-consuming and creates noise and air pollution for many residents between the towns.
This is why I welcome the funds announced by the Government for local transport services, and the will to find a solution to the problems of the A259. But I do not believe that the current plans for the Link Road, currently the subject of a public inquiry, are the right way to solve our local transport problems.
Discussionof the Hastings-Bexhill link road has been on people's lips for many years now, and I am sure hasleft people on all sides of the argument sick of going over the same debates again and again.Clearly this is why, now that Government funding has been allocated to the project, the ESCC and local inspectors are eager to push on and build the road.
But several local organisations have been campaigning hard to ensure that if a road is built, it should be the right one. I won't bore you with the details of exact routes and the environmental implications of the road - suffice to say that several routes were suggested and the one that has been chosen has severe implications for the local environment, and is likely to increase traffic at both ends.
Consultation has been fleeting and heavily weighted in favour of one particular conclusion. I understand and agree with people who argue that this situation needs to be resolved soon, but surely that doesn't mean rushing to a damaging conclusion which we will regret in future. We need a transport infrastructure, and a link road, which will serve the area for many years to come – not a temporary, flawed stop-gap.
The public inquiry must understand that this decision has permanent effects, and must not be taken lightly.
Please visit my website – www.jamesroyston.org.uk
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
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