Green group welcomes scrapping of Gwent Levels motorway

15 July 2009

Friends of the Earth Cymru today congratulated Transport Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones on scrapping the Gwent Levels motorway scheme.

The six lane toll road would have cost £1 billion, cut a swathe through the protected Gwent Levels and led to an increase in traffic and carbon emissions.

Friends of the Earth Cymru, a leading member of CALM [1], has campaigned against the Gwent Levels motorway, and proposed cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives, since the scheme was first proposed over 10 years ago.

Ditching the scheme is an opportunity to resolve the existing road's safety and maintenance problems by lower cost measures along the M4 and other local routes.

Neil Crumpton, Friends of the Earth Cymru campaigner said:

"The scrapping of the unaffordable and traffic-generating Gwent Levels motorway is vital to tackle climate change and cut Wales' carbon emissions.

"It alsoprovides a huge opportunity for the Assembly Government to resolve the M4's increasing safety and maintenance problems by investing in much more cost-effective and less damaging measures along the M4 and other local routes.

"The £1 billion road scheme is a victim of its own price tag in a credit crunch which was partly sparked by rising oil prices. To create a strong and resilient economy Wales must anticipate the global realities of rising fuel and carbon costs in its future transport and economic development plans.

"Ieuan Wyn Jones is to be congratulated for taking this bold decision in the face of a growing climate crisis."

NOTES

1. Campaign Against the Levels Motorway (CALM) is an alliance of organisations, community councils and local residents who oppose the construction of the Gwent Levels motorway http://www.savethelevels.org.uk/

For further information, contact Friends of the Earth Cymru on 029 2022 9577