Representation by Alyson Lee
- Date submitted
- 17 June 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I would like to register as an interested party for the following reasons:- 1. All new roads mean increased traffic and therefore increased air pollution and carbon emissions. We are in a climate emergency – tackling this means reducing the number of cars on the roads as well as converting to EVs. 2. Congestion needs to be solved through investment in active travel and public transport and a general reduction in freight volumes through a national policy of degrowth as opposed to the suicidal policy of perpetual growth in a finite world. 3. We are also in an ecological crisis – this scheme threatens many wildlife habitats such as wet grazing meadows. Many species will be harmed by the scheme. Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and we need to stop destroying our natural habitats for the sake of growth. 4. The environmental assessments do not look at cumulative effects – this scheme is not an isolated scheme – there are several other road schemes near to Norwich and East Norfolk. The effects on biodiversity, pollution and carbon emissions should be assessed in combination with these other schemes. 5. There are also many other major road schemes within the government’s RIS2 programme - the cumulative effect of this scheme, along with all other road schemes nationally, should be seriously considered in terms of the national carbon budgets – road transport is the only sector where carbon emissions are still increasing – this is probably because the cumulative carbon emissions of individual schemes are ignored. This can’t go on! 6. All road schemes should be re-evaluated in the light of the Covid pandemic – much has changed that will affect future traffic volumes such as home-working – the government should be taking steps to make this a permanent change by investing in improved broadband and local work hubs rather than continuing with outdated policies of ever expanding roads.