Whenever I hear someone tell me that: "It's in your best interests to do X, or Y," alarm bells ring very loudly indeed. In my experience, true philanthropy is a very rare quality and what these individuals really mean is: "It's in my best interests for you to do X or Y. Selfish self-interest is a powerful driver indeed.
When such a statement is made by a politician, then the alarm bells ring more loudly than ever. That's what is going on at the moment; a cacophony of alarm bells, whistles and sirens are sounding off. A great deal of effort is being made to persuade many of those with an interest in doing something about the untenable situation of the A303 to pull together to support the tunnel under Stonehenge and the northern bypass of Winterbourne Stoke and to put pressure on Highways England to adopt that solution.
Bearing in mind the opening to this post, whose best interests are served by this? It would certainly provide a solution to the traffic problems, but would it provide the best solution; particularly for Winterbourne Stoke? What would benefit Winterbourne Stoke the most? Forgetting for a moment the options on offer, I would suggest the denizens of Winterbourne Stoke want some or all of the following:
- a reduction in traffic volumes within the village;
- a reduction of traffic noise within the village;
- a reduction in traffic pollution across the village
- no more damage to the environment
- no more damage to the known and unknown archaeology of the area.
The best way to achieve that is to remove the A303 from the equation. Remove it entirely, absolutely and unequivocally from the equation. To do that there would seem only two alternatives. Dig a tunnel from east (NOT west) of Countess Roundabout and emerge, blinking into the daylight, having bankrupted the nation, somewhere between Yarnbury Castle and the A303 Deptford interchange, or simply re-route the A303 south of Amesbury past Boscombe Down, through the Woodford Valley on a couple of magnificent and architecturally inspiring viaducts, then rejoining the route of the current A36 towards the Deptford interchange. Whilst the super-long tunnel option is unaffordable in anyone's book, even Highways England admit the southern route would be a substantially cheaper than either of the tunnel-based proposals on the table.
Now given that many of the archaeological community, locally, nationally and internationally, are against the proposed tunnel option and bypasses for Winterbourne Stoke, would want to expand the boundaries of the current World Heritage Site to accommodate both known and suspected archaeology and want to remove the A303 from the entirety of the area, then clearly, we have something in common. Whilst we have never been natural bed-fellows in the past, perhaps now is the time for those immediately affected to cosy-up with each other? Our selfish self-interest is best served by removing the A303 in it's entirety. A tunnel with a northern bypass or a tunnel with a southern bypass are very much secondary and tertiary options which satisfy few, if any, of the desires and aspirations of Winterbourne Stoke.
Now the politicos will tell you that this isn't on the agenda. Accept what you are being offered and let us get on with it! They would, wouldn't they. Don't forget though, that when considering traffic issue, nothing has a better turning circle than a politician - especially ones trying to balance the books.
