Representation by Ewen Estill
- Date submitted
- 4 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The current proposal for the A66 is dangerous when set against the UK climate budget to reduce carbon. I want to express my objection The DCO application ignores the Climate Change Committes advice the recent Friends of the Earth court victory which hi-lifted the government has apparently failed to factor in emissions from it road building schemes and also forthcoming Judicial review brought by Dr Andrew Boswell on the Cumulative Carbon of the NH road building project. The A66 is set to be the third highest emitting road in the current road building project. Given the time which will be gained by freight the cost to the climate cannot be justified. As the main objective is to improve the road for freight it is hard to understand why it is necessary to build a road designed to facitilitate 70 MPH traffic give the speed limit for HGVs on dual carriageways is 60 MPH. Given the increase in fuel cost is likely to be a feature of the future and fuel efficiency will be a priority for haulage companies the principal of buildings road to facilitate speeds which the main user cannot actually travel at seems against all logic. The infastructure of the UK’s roads is crumbling. Investment is required in EV charging stations. The existing dialled sections of the A66 are an example of roads needed upgrading to prevent traffic flowing unto a 70 MPH road. The proposed cost of the A66 project is absurd given we cannot even maintain our exisiting road and in the face of government policy emphasising a shift to river and rail. The section at Kirkby Thore is the most obvious example of national policy on carbon being ignored and business being preferred to nature. This short stretch of road is 1/3 of the entire budget for 9 sections. It destroys a regenerative farm which is home to Owls, bats, otters, hedgehogs, hares, lap wings, red squirrels and badgers in order to prioritise a Superfarm and Mining Company. Given the experience of the summer with record breaking temperatures and our failure to invest in renewables leaving us exposed to rocketing energy prices how can we possibly continue to pay taxpayers money to build roads that have a minus 0ne BCR and ignore our climate budgets