Representation by Edward Simpson
- Date submitted
- 4 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The A66 is over-burdened road infrastructure. ‘Smart’ Satellite navigation systems often direct drivers to the A66 when travelling from London and the South East to Edinburgh and Glasgow – i.e. off the motorway network. As the A66 consultation documentation shows a high proportion of the traffic is freight. Keep long-distance freight traffic on the motorway network and many problems of the A66 are reduced. By dualling the A66 the amount of traffic will increase. I find this retrograde and to contradict the UK’s Net Zero ambition and the climate emergency declared by many of the councils the A66 passes through. In 2022, the UK should not be building twentieth century infrastructure (i.e roads) but looking at ways to reduce traffic and increase freight transport efficiencies. I have concerns about the amenity of the Eden Valley and the visual and audial impact on the AONB and adjacent National Park. I was not satisfied with the explanations provided by Highways England during the consultation exercise. I am Professor of Social Anthropology and have spent the last ten years studying the language, discourse and graphic methods road-builders in different parts of the world use to obfuscate meaningful discussion, to promote their work, and to manage public expectations. Behind the glossy A66 brochures is a High Volume road that perpetuates a mode of economy, logistics and distribution which is proven to be unsustainable. The future carbon costs of the A66 from increased traffic go against the stated commitments of the government to reducing carbon and moving towards Net Zero.