Junction 20 idea won’t work, says MP (From Knutsford Guardian)
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George Osborne dismisses plans put forward by residential group for A556 alternative
2:30pm Friday 29th June 2012 in News
By James Wilson
A NEW road will not be built at junction 20 of the M6 as an alternative to the current bypass plans for the A556, according to Knutsford’s MP.
A month ago residents in Millington, Rostherne, High Legh and Tabley, unveiled a plan in opposition to the proposed A556 bypass that would take motorway traffic to junction 20.
The group had hired a firm of traffic consultants to draw up the plans, and hoped to sway the minds of Highways Agency officials who consulted on the £170 million bypass scheme for the road earlier this year.
But Chancellor George Osborne told the Guardian the junction 20 scheme put forward by the group was a ‘lot more expensive’ and ‘wouldn’t work’.
He said: “I’ve spoken to the roads minister recently but my view is this – I’ve been the MP here for 11 years, and in all of those 11 years the traffic on the A556 has been a problem and people have banded around different schemes.
“But the proof is that I took a close look at the junction 20 approach a few years ago and I spent many, many months looking at all the details of it and came to the conclusion that ultimately it wouldn’t work.
“It’s a lot more expensive and it won’t necessarily stop people from cutting the corner.
“It’s a much longer journey to go all the way round and so people would still rat-run either through the A556 or come up on the A50, but they would come through Knutsford and the other communities to cut the corner into Manchester.”
He believed the Highways Agency proposal was the correct one and highlighted the success of the Alderley Edge bypass.
“It will affect some local communities, but we’ve now got to work to make sure the environmental impact is minimised,” he said.
“I do look at the Alderley Edge bypass – people did worry about that before it was built and now it is built it has transformed the village and brought life back to the village.
“We can either spend another 10 years talking about it or we can get the improvements to the A556 done.”
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SELFISH BUMPKIN says...
6:25pm Fri 29 Jun 12
The report proves (amongst other arguments) that HA's plans are based on completely flawed traffic modelling data including, for example, their estimated "minutes saved" between J19 M6 and J7 M56, calculated on a 70mph tariff rather than the stated 50mph speed limit which would be imposed.
HA recently admitted to Millington parishioners that the traffic modelling tool they used for calculations on the surrounding lanes was "totally inappropriate".
The report also proves that the proposed dual carriageway will not solve the congestion problem on the A556, indeed it would exacerbate it, due to the increased speed with which drivers will hit the queue for the M56. There is a strong argument that the accident rate will actually increase! Furthermore, the cost (estimated between £170m and £212m) is actually only the tip of the iceberg since HA admit that further substantial costs and land-grab will be necessary to make changes to J7 M56 after the dual carriageway is built.
All those who oppose this scheme agree that a solution needs to be found, however if the taxpayer is to fund this hugely expensive project, in a time of austerity and hardship for millions, it must be right, it must actually solve the problem!
I urge Mr Osborne (and anyone who has an interest in this issue), to read CBO's report which can be found on the lobby group website: a556road.co.uk. It is written in Laymanese so it's easy to follow. Perhaps then Mr Osborne will finally abandon his allegiance to this ill-conceived and highly destructive HA scheme and be prepared to consider alternatives which WOULD solve the A556 problem.
Finally, CBO's proposal for J20 of the M6 has been very well received, 98% of those who attended the Cottons presentation and the Cheshire Show signed the petition supporting it. Indeed support for those opposing the dual carriageway is increasing, even those who would have benefitted most can now see that a less destructive, less expensive solution can and should be explored. Mr Osborne is clearly out of touch with all but a handful of his constituents.