A40 Upgrading May Be Single Carriageway

Welsh Assembly Government Press Release Mix-Up

WAG Press Release Mix-up on A40 Upgrading - Single or Dual Carriageway Options Still to be Decided

Whether the upgrading of the A40 from St Clears to Haverfordwest is to be to single or dual carriageway standard is to be decided within 18 months say the Welsh Assembly Government (1).

There was confusion last Thursday when two Welsh Assembly Government press releases said different things about the A40 road upgrading (2). One said it was to be dualled pending the outcome of an Environmental Assessment in line with EU directives, the more detailed press release said the study would be carried out to determine the carriageway standard. The actual Programme document (3) makes it quite clear that there will be:

an environmental assessment, within 18 months, to help determine whether the improvement should be to a single or dual carriageway standard and how best it could be provided.

Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth Cymru (FOE Cymru) say that single carriageway solutions are the way forward.

Neil Crumpton transport Spokesperson for FOE Cymru and a member of the Welsh Transport Forum said:
"We would like to see a single carriageway bypass of Robeston Wathen and climbing lanes plus a package of public transport and business and agricultural support measures.

This would be a far better way of creating a strong, resilient and environmentally friendly west Wales economy. Spending 60 million pounds dualling the A40 would only encourage more traffic, more car dependency and more global warming emissions.

The recent European Commission's transport white paper, has highlighted the need to break the historic link between transport growth and economic growth as one of the central challenges of sustainable development.

What happens in West Wales could well become important as an example in many other countries. With traffic increasing around the world (4) and large chunks of the Antarctic ice shelf melting due to global warming (5) caused partly by exhaust emissions from traffic we ask the public to support our proposals. We must depend less on the car and the lorry".

Notes

1) WAG Trunk Road Forward Programme Document published 21.03.02

2) two press releases:

PR 1: Dualling of the A40 west of St Clears in West Wales, subject to an environmental assessment in line with European Directives;

PR 2: A40 St Clears to Haverfordwest EWS Strategic part of the network with unreliable and slow journey times. Part of Trans European Network Environmental assessment study to be carried out to determine the carriageway standard

3) WAG Trunk Road Forward Programme Document published 21.03.02 (page 13 para 4.3.5)

4) Wales car ownership is about 1 car per 2.6 population, profligate USA has reached 1 car per 2 people, globally it is 1 car per 8 people but forecast to rise especially in the developing world to 1 car per 5 people by 2030 (ie: 1.6 billion cars by 2030). It is not clear how such traffic growth can be accommodated sustainably. Roadbuilding encourages more traffic and car ownership.

5) Larsen B Ice Shelf. Last week it was reported that an Antarctic ice shelf larger than the Western Isles has collapsed in just a month. The 1,250 square mile Larsen B disintegrated into icebergs and fragments. The 650ft-thick ice sheet is one of five on the continent that have been steadily shrinking, scientists believe, due to global warming.