Representation by Martin Walker
- Date submitted
- 24 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Summary I am in favour of the Lower Thames Crossing Project 1. Impact to my family for personal & business use due to traffic congestion & accidents 2. Increasing the opportunity for commercial enterprise and leisure options 3. Reducing journey times for businesses and members of the public 4. Improving the environment 5. Conclusion 1. Impact to my family for personal & business use due to traffic congestion & accidents I have lived in two locations in the borough of Brentwood, Essex since 1999. The original planned traffic capacity has long exceeded which frequently results in congestion and varying amounts of traffic delay. This is exacerbated when there is a Road Traffic Accident, broken down vehicle, a lorry shedding its load which will require closing one or more lanes. The frustration when having to use the Dartford Crossing for business or personal use is that although vehicle satellite navigation systems, apps on mobile phones, traffic updates on radio & National Highway information displayed on motorway gantries will warn of an issue but there are no nearby suitable alternatives to take to avoid the problem. When having to use the crossing for business or leisure it is impossible to factor in a likely journey time as many variable factors may impact it. For business this impacts on productivity. I have often travelled with colleagues, sometime with 4 in a car. Often when traffic is flowing freely, depending on the length of the journey, we could arrive up to an hour early for an appointment, or conversely be jointly stressing that we will not arrive on time for an important customer meeting or presentation. My colleagues and I have been late on several occasions due to Dartford Crossing issues. For the business I worked for employees travelling from the Kent were constantly stressed having to arrive very early for work due to the fear of being late and sometimes staying late if there was news of stationary traffic. This issue particularly impacted on those who had children and those who were carers for family members and had to share responsibilities for drop off and pickups and have arranged changeover of caring duties and just generally not being sure that they could get home quickly if there was an urgent need. In the last couple of months my wife and I missed a family funeral in north Sussex due to issues on the Dartford Crossing even though I had factored in an additional 50 minutes of journey time. Previously we just managed to catch a flight at Gatwick after massive delays on the motorway and only made it by being assisted by a fast track check in and getting to the gate by a courtesy airport buggy. [Redacted] We all do not see each other each other as much as we would wish, or the time we spend at each other’s homes is restricted due to knowledge of the high likelihood of travel issues that we have to encounter when trying to do so via the Dartford Crossing. The alternative is to meet up in central London and travel up by train but the cost of travelling up by train is expensive, particularly for my family, as is meeting at a restaurant. I/we, colleagues always take a train into central London, when possible, for business or leisure. 2. Increasing the opportunity for commercial enterprise & leisure options Providing a second crossing to the east of London I believe will greatly increase the expansion of commercial and leisure opportunities. I can recount numerous conversations with owners of small businesses, from both north and south of the river Thames who have stated that they do not seek work from the other side of the river due to the added journey times and unreliability of the crossing. Larger companies I have read currently feel that to offer a reliable service they would need two hubs, one either side of the river. This restricts local competition, growth of business opportunities and the available pool of skilled staff for employment. Potential employees are unwilling to make the commitment in time and cost to travel and employers are unwilling to take on staff that may be frequently late for work due to the uncertainty of crossing times. My wife & I, family & friends would occasionally like to travel to alternative Kent or Essex coastal locations, parks or music events. It is disappointing that we often decide not to do so as it can be stressful having booked a table or having a start time to arrive by for an event contemplating the high likelihood of being late. This is entirely due to the inadequate road crossing capacity that we have between the counties of Kent & Essex which serves hundreds of thousands of local people in just a few miles either side of the Dartford Crossing & hundreds of local businesses. Beyond this lies the UK’s strategic need for efficient crossings linking Kent and Essex ports and depots with the rest of the UK. This becomes apparent when any individual is sitting in very slow moving or stationary traffic and looking at the inside lane which comprises of a wall of heavy goods vehicles and container transporters. 3. Reducing journey times for businesses and members of the public Whilst increased speed alone does not justify spending taxpayers money on any project, conversely any possible impact on local communities must not necessarily stop progress for the greater good of the many, the impact of not acting must weigh heavily on decision makers. A justifiable balance must be sought. In my view adequate financial, or other, compensation must be provided to individuals, communities, and environmental considerations to allow a much needed benefit for all to be delivered. 4. Improving the environment It is foolish to believe that any major project will not have an impact on the environment to bring it to fruition. There is the cost of the materials used and the impact on the local environment and communities whilst it is being constructed. However, reading the extensive information provided by the National Highways Agency I am convinced that within budget constraints all due care will be taken and, in many instances when finished wildlife habitats and access for local communities will be enhanced along with thousands of new trees to offset harmful carbon dioxide emissions. Currently so many vehicles, often diesel for larger commercial transport, sit with their engines idling in slow moving, stopped or stop start traffic. This is breathed in by road users, those near by and the local wildlife. Increasing traffic flow will assist decrease this. On a mitigation point for those living close to the proposed new roadworks this traffic should be free flowing and of course there is the benefit of the increasing number green vehicles coming on to our road network, hastened by the proposed expanded London Ultra Low Emission Zone planned for implementation later this year. By 2030 the number of electric vehicles will be joined by hydrogen propulsion systems which will all contribute to a much reduced health risk for residents and travellers alike. 5. Conclusion I have spent many hours reviewing the National Highways Agencies website that informs businesses and the public of the proposal to construct a Lower Thames Crossing and its benefits. I signed up for and am happy to receive the regular updates of the progress, or delays, to this project. I recently spent time visiting a Lower Thames Crossing event in Brentwood town centre and asked many questions for the team there and I was pleased to have them fully answered in a most comprehensible way. I feel that for such a proposed expensive and disruptive project such as the Lower Thames Crossing must consider historical perspectives when coming to a justifiable conclusion. Hundreds of years ago enterprising ferrymen who spotted an opportunity had to approach local authorities to operate a ferry from one side of a river to connect people with something, perhaps as simple as a new inn that had been built or perhaps it was a new railway station on the other side of a river, that would otherwise have been inaccessible to many. Either way their entrepreneurial aspirations grew local commerce and the economy and provided jobs and improved living standards and leisure opportunities We are coming out of a pandemic, facing the challenges of adapting to Brexit and have a need to all of the UK’s citizens to ensure that our economy may prosper and grow to provide additional tax revenue to fund our social needs for all. The location of the Dartford Crossing and its current bottle neck on businesses local and much further afield as well as the day to day impact on families and friends wishing to socialise as well as tourism is enormous. I support the current proposals and hope that after the correct consideration by all required the project can start and be finished as soon as possible to enhance the economy and many individual lives. I am happy to be contacted to discuss any of my submission.