‘New Emersons Green junction won’t cure congestion’

I read the article by Property Consultant Paul Williams (New junction could ease M4 congestion, 5/12/16) with rising disbelief. It is hard to believe that anyone still thinks that building new roads cures congestion.

New roads are always supposed to reduce congestion, but they never actually do. This promise was made for the M32, the Ring Road, the M48 and every other road constructed since the 1970s, but not a single one of them has reduced congestion. New roads increase capacity, so more people drive, congestion everywhere else gets worse, so they build more roads creating more congestion: a never ending spiral of futility.

To expect this new junction to be different is rather like getting married for the tenth time: a triumph of hope over experience.

There is already a study about the congestion effects of the proposed junction at Emersons Green, the Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study. It found that the new junction would increase congestion, not reduce it.

So why is South Gloucestershire Council spending £500,000 of taxpayers money on a study when they already have the answer?  Particularly in these times of austerity and cuts.

What are the council’s transport, congestion, health, pollution and environment policies? Do they start with building more roads and then go on to promoting public transport, cycling and walking? No they don’t, precisely the opposite, with cycling and walking first, then public transport, car-sharing and only when all these have been tried and failed, are more roads considered.

So the council is going diametrically against its own policies, wasting half a million on a study in a pointless attempt to do something guaranteed not to work. Lucky it’s only taxpayers money.

‘The council has a long history of failing to carry out its own policies’ e.g. junction 16 of the M5, where they spent millions to cure congestion, but made it worse and at the same time more dangerous for both pedestrians and cyclists. Totally against every policy they’ve got, but that isn’t something the Local Government Ombudsman can do anything about.

Trying to cure congestion by building new roads is like loosening your belt to cure obesity: you’ll feel better for a few days, but you’ll have to loosen your belt again a week later and the problem will be worse.

The congestion is entirely the result of the council failing to carry out its own policies for the past twenty years, but the council’s attitude seems to be “just because it’s never worked anywhere, ever, doesn’t mean it won’t work here this time.”

But we know it won’t work, and they know it won’t work, but they carry on wasting our money, ignoring their own policies and failing in their duty to improve transport, reduce congestion, pollution and danger.

Remember next time that you’re stuck in a traffic jam in SGlos, and the air isn’t fit to breathe and the roads too dangerous to cycle or walk on; it’s because the council planned it that way.

Richard is a member of the South Gloucestershire Green Party

Read more: New transport service becoming a necessity