We believe that a new bypass on its own will not be a ‘silver bullet’ and that any road investment programme should be part of wider measures to tackle congestion such as a move away from car-dependant new development and investment in infrastructure for sustainable travel, particularly the rail network. Earlier this year, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) commissioned research into the impacts of major road building programmes using evidence from Highways England (analysis of 80 Post-Opening Project Evaluations or POPEs, 2 yearly meta-analysis of POPEs) and detailed case studies. The research showed that traffic on new roads increased faster than background traffic, new pinch points were created by additional road capacity and there was little or no evidence of economic benefits from the road schemes analysed. The CPRE ‘End of the Road’ report summarises these findings and gives recommendations for an alternative approach. We believe that an integrated mobility strategy should be developed for the South Coast to reduce the demand for car use.
A27 Arundel Bypass – CPRE Sussex response
We submitted our response to the Arundel Bypass consultation, outlining our concerns that the options presented, particularly options 3 and 5a, would damage the existing character of the surrounding landscape, including the South Downs National Park and its special qualities, mature woodland (most of which is ancient semi-natural woodland), the Arun floodplain, tranquillity and dark night skies, which are highly valued and irreplaceable. The iconic view of Arundel and Arundel Castle would be heavily impacted. This some of the best Sussex has to offer in terms of beauty and heritage – our national treasures.
Downloads:
- A27ZArundelZconsultationZCPREZSxZresponseZOctZ2017.pdf (390 download)
