Cuppa tea, Darling?
"Don't turn the south-west into a drive-through tea shop", say campaigners.
Posted: 21 November 2002
by OUTDOORSmagic
In a few weeks, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling will be considering plans for a massive rural road-building project. Developers want to widen the A303/A30 through the area, even though the study's consultants said this would be too environmentally damaging.
Big cheeses (oh dear) from environmental organisations - including Transport 2000, the CPRE, Friends of the Earth, the Ramblers, the Woodland Trust and the Wildlife Trust - picnicked on a traffic roundabout on the A30 near Yeovil to protest against the plans to tarmac over wildlife sites, ancient woodlands, and through Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The plans were described as 'economic and environmental madness' by the FoE, and 'based on bogus arguments', according to the CPRE. The threat to Somerset's Blackdown Hills is of particular concern.
The organisations involved in the protest believe there are clear alternatives to the road-building, including modernising the Salisbury - Exeter rail line, and improving transport links around Swindon, Taunton, Bristol and Exeter to reduce congestion by taking local traffic off the M4 / M5.
Read the full story on the Friends of the Earth website.
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