“The Business Case is not yet finalised and the material which should underpin the consultation is subject to change.
An initial analysis of the Business Case shows serious problems, including:
Inconsistency between stability and decline in traffic locally, pre-dating the recession
Serious inaccuracies in the public transport model used to show the impact of the current road scheme including mode share and total number of trips
A majority of benefits accrue to longer distance traffic, not local traffic as is the stated purpose of the scheme
No account appears to have been taken of the Northern Hub initiative and the impact this, and electrification schemes, will have on longer distance journeys
Unanswered questions over how the new developments have been included in the model, especially in relation to TEMPRO
Lack of genuine sensitivity testing, including assumptions on land use, policies including limiting parking and Smarter Choices, and a traffic stability forecast
Questions over whether the Area of Influence is too small and fails to pick up longer distance impacts.”
Professor Wenban-Smith
