Lib Dems reinforce opposition to 10-lane A14 super highway (Cambridge Liberal Democrats)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

Lib Dems reinforce opposition to 10-lane A14 super highway

January 16, 2009 12:58 PM

Cllr Simon Kightley - opposed to A14 super highway

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have reinforced their opposition to the 10-lane A14 super highway which will generate thousands more car journeys along the already congested Huntingdon Road.

They spoke out after Independent Councillor John Hipkin accused them of exaggerating the scale of the plan.

Castle Ward Councillor Simon Kightley said: "Whichever way you dress it up, there will be a 10 lane super highway from Huntingdon to Cambridge, involving six lanes of the A14 and two local lanes in either direction. Anyone who fails to acknowledge the scale of this plan has got his head firmly buried in the sand.

"We have been referring to this for two years and official figures have shown that it will mean a massive increase in traffic into Cambridge along the Huntingdon Road.

"If £1 billion investment is available, we want some of the money spent on improving safety on the A14 by bringing the junctions up to motorway standard. The rest should be used to get lorries off this road, to reduce the horrendous rate of accidents involving HGVs, and putting freight onto rail. Lorries make the accident problem much worse and are bad news for global warming.

"I am also concerned about transport and fossil fuel consumption and made a point that the government target of six per cent renewable road fuel by 2010 had no chance of being met."

Canterbury Road resident, Belinda Brooks-Gordon said: "This 10-lane super highway plan will be extremely bad news for the area."

Backing Cllr Kightley's call for more railway investment, Cambridge MP David Howarth said: "We need investment in the railways so that national and international freight can be shifted off the roads and onto rail. We should also concentrate on public transport improvements in and around the city.

"I fully support work which will improve the A14's safety record. But expanding this road will not solve the problems facing Cambridge - it will just encourage more traffic onto a road that is already dangerously congested."