LETTER: Congestion will just get worse

Please note the improvements of the Gatwick station, partly funded by taxpayers’ money, is only to service Gatwick passengers not commuters who already suffer the congested railway single railway line that CAN’T BE EXPANDED.

Sorry Gatwick management ‘smart’ roads are not seen as safe by many and with the M23 having more than its fair share of accidents, ask anyone that travels the smart M25 each day how tiring it is as the lanes are so narrow and congested now.

This is all without a second runway and how disingenuous of Gatwick only to declare figures up to when the second runway would only just be finished but use projected growth figures to 2050 when it would be full.

Some thing does not add up as usual with the Gatwick spin. ‘More passengers arrived at the airport via the M23 a Gatwick spokesperson said’ ....yes that is because there are no rail links east to west.

Local authorities will have budgets cut again after the recent announcements by George Osborne so how can Sussex afford Gatwick 2 when they have current deficits with private housing projects? What investment, our counties have had the least investment for years in schools, health, so why should this change when Gatwick exports holiday makers out of the UK to spend money overseas, as the Commission says, Gatwick brings the least into the UK economy.

In the Transport for London Surface Access document of February 2015 it highlights the fact that catalytic and freight have not been included in the Commission’s figures for surface access and is underestimated by some 25% at Gatwick. It goes on to state that the Commission has included benefits of a number of uncommitted and unfunded airport access rail schemes.

With Gatwick having no direct links to Crossrail or HS2 and the fact that adding more trains, carriages, which is Gatwick’s plan, to an already congested single line would not ease the access demands on the roads around Gatwick which are already at breaking point and has no funding to improve unless the taxpayer pays. Please note the M23 will be full by 2040 without Gatwick 2.

Congested roads simply means more pollution outside our homes and schools as there is no funding for local roads. Unlike Heathrow that have included costings, Gatwick has not.

As Gatwick argue recently ‘onward surface access is not their problem’.

We already have issues of pollution in Sussex expanding Gatwick would only increase these as the roads become gridlocked.

SALLY PAVEY

Chair of CAGNE, Mayes Lane, Warnham

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