The sad thing is, when you read the questions it seems that Devon County Council are thinking along very narrow lines. Statements like:
"Recognising that much of this stretch is through the Blackdown Hills which is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, any solution must be sensitive to the environment. Given the economic climate, it is also likely that any improvements will take place over a long period of time, so they must be planned and work in harmony together as the scheme evolves. Dualling is not likely to occur, but please outline your thoughts on how the problems detailed above might be solved", are terribly negative, and yet positively Devonian (in the geological sense!). This attitude to the A303 is depressingly common.
Like the Stonehenge A303 section, the Blackdown Hills are going to be a hotbed of contention and rightly so, it's another beautiful area of the country and part of the reason many are heading west in the first place. Just like the Stonehenge section, there are lots of vested interests and pet solutions that cloud the issue, get folks hot under the collar and divert them from productive thinking. So, as with Stonehenge, the Blackdown Hills need special attention.
What is it we are actually trying to achieve along the A303/A30 corridor and what are the compromises that no-one wants to make? I'd argue the following, and given the recent problems with the Exeter-Penzance rail line, I'd argue even more strenuously than previously:
- we want a fast, reliable and sustainable route running from the Hampshire border to the tip of Cornwall;
- we want to maximise the number of routes (rail, A303 M4/M5) as far westwards as possible for maximum resilience;
- it must have minimal impact on local communities;
- it must have minimal impact on areas of outstanding natural beauty, SSI and the like;
- it has to be affordable
The route options seem to be along the current route of the A303 - it's always going to be hilly and have twists and turns and be vulnerable to adverse weather, but it does have the advantage of being short and impacting on a very small population.
Second is diverting off the current A303 at Ilminster, along the A358 towards Taunton and then joining the M5. Attractive to some as it avoids the Blackdown Hills, but is the least resilient route option available as it merges all the east-west traffic well to the east of Exeter.
Third is the southern option, cutting south west from Ilminster and then following the path of the A35, between the Blackdown Hills AONB and the East Devon AONB. The attraction of this route is that it avoids cutting through the centre of the Blackdown Hills AONB and keeps two trunk roads running to the west until Exeter. On the downside, it is the route that would affect the greatest number of communities and two AONB.
But again, perhaps innovation is needed here. Who says that both carriageways of the A303 have to run along the same route? A fourth option would be to take westbound traffic along the current route of the A303 and A30 from Ilminster to Exeter. Eastbound traffic could be routed along the M5 to Taunton and back to the current route at Ilminster. Of course, this might prove an absolute embuggerance for the small communities along the current route of the A303, but it's a question that needs to be asked. There are possibly other innovative solutions - westbound via the A35 and eastbound via the M5, etc - but all need to be identified and put on the table!
No comments:
Post a Comment