http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/email-action-semmms-road/
“The A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road is a proposed new road, connecting the A6 at Hazel Grove to Manchester Airport. It consists of the northern part of what was originally called the Poynton Bypass and the A555 Manchester Airport Eastern and Western Link Roads and it ties in with a section of the A555 that was built some years ago. This six mile road, which is one of the SEMMMS (South East Manchester Multi-Modal Study) network of roads, has an estimated cost of £300 million (likely to increase) and will – according to the promoting Councils’ own reports – see a likely 21% increase in traffic at certain areas.
Roads to Nowhere. We know that building new roads does not solve people’s transport problems. Instead, road-building generates new traffic movements that did not previously exist, damages the countryside, adds to climate change and makes cities, towns and villages less pleasant places to live for everyone. That is why Manchester Friends of the Earth is working with Campaign for Better Transport on their Roads to Nowhere campaign.
Why we are opposing this proposal. The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) and North West Transport Roundtable (NW TAR) commissioned transport experts to examine the business case, and traffic models for the proposed road and other professionals to critique the environmental scoping study and the approach to air quality and climate change. This report highlighted how the proposed road scheme will have a wide range of detrimental environmental, economic and social impacts effects. See the ‘A folly in the making – SEMMMS A6-Manchester Airport Relief Road‘ report.
We’re calling for greener, cheaper alternatives to road-building…
Manchester Friends of the Earth does not support the proposed A6-MARR and we believe that the scheme will not achieve the economic and transport benefits claimed for the scheme. We submitted a detailed response to the first consultation phase, which closed on 25th January 2013. We will be responding to the second consultation (deadline 19th July 2013) and will be objecting to the planning application (likely to be in the Autumn 2013).
The evidence from the UK and other countries clearly demonstrates that investing the £300 million in public transport and active travel schemes would deliver far greater benefits for the local economy, achieve healthier communities and help reach our legally required air quality and climate change targets”
