Calls to scrap duallingA1 plan
ANORTH East environmental campaign group has criticised long-awaited proposals to dual the A1 north of Morpeth. SPACE For Gosforth say the impact of both the construction of the road and the increased number of vehicles on carbon emissions would be “environmentally ruinous”.
The group have called for the project to either be delayed until 2050 or scrapped altogether.
Supporters of the plan to dual the road between Morpeth and Ellingham argue that it would provide a boost to the local economy, improve journey times and make the road safer.
But SPACE argue there are other, cheaper alternatives to improve road safety.
A spokesman for SPACE For Gosforth said: “National Highways say that dualling the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham will increase traffic to such an extent that it will cause an additional 1.4 million tonnes of CO2e to be released into the atmosphere. This alone will make it one of the most environmentally ruinous projects currently planned in the NE.
“While it makes instinctive sense that the A1 should be dualled all the way to Scotland, the climate impact cannot be ignored. Either the project needs to be delayed until 2050 when most of the traffic will be EVs, or better still the cost should be spent improving public transport and active travel instead.
“The idea that dualling is the only option to improve road safety is just plain wrong. National Highways have plenty of proven options like lower speed limits or average speed cameras that could have been introduced years ago at minimal cost.
“Alternative approaches, like average speed cameras or junction improvements, need to be considered to improve safety without massively increasing emissions. We support better bus services but there is little evidence that buses alone will achieve the sustained reduction in traffic necessary to offset the increased emissions from dualling the A1.”
“Achieving Net Zero will be hard enough without projects like this making it worse.”
The group chose to speak out after remarks made by Hexham MP and Roads Minister Guy Opperman last week. Mr Opperman vowed to get the project “back on track” after a final decision from the Transport Secretary was delayed several times.
A decision is expected by June 5, although it has already been pushed back four times.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said he understood concerns around the environmental impact but maintained the project needed to be done. He said: “Despite any environmental concerns, it is important we make it as safe as possible. The balance is always there and that is why we’re doing everything in Northumberland to install as many EV chargers as we can
“It is essential to get that road done, not just for the economic impact but for the safety impact. Thank the lord we haven’t had any fatalities on there for some time, but for me the safety factor is still the most important part. In my lifetime, I have seen too many people hurt or killed on the A1 to see it drop down the agenda.”