Failure to invest in roads will cost us

Robin Mccombe (“High-speed bypass will attract traffic”, Letters, June 17) says: “Anyone with any knowledge of transport knows that new roads will simply attract more traffic.” This often-stated “fact” is, of course, an illusionary myth as it would clearly be nonsensical to imagine that any road user will think: “Oh, look – a new road. I’d better go out and use it!”

The reality is that if a new road is well-designed it is immediately busy as an existing traffic chooses the quickest and easiest route; it doesn’t “create traffic” but is simply an example of pent-up demand. The benefit is that this relieves the previously used roads of traffic which is simply displaced to the better route, reducing congestion and pollution by the more efficient design. The failure of the “anti-new road” lobby to understand this reality results in a classic example of unintended consequences. Other than the motorway network existing trunk roads represent little more than modified medieval cart tracks, and with the continuing failure to properly invest our roads become increasingly congested with an estimated annual cost to the economy of over £6 billion and consequential increased pollution.

Even in the post-pandemic digital age the success of any economy is still largely driven by the ability to move goods and people around quickly and efficiently. Prosperity enables the funding of better schools, health care and investment in deprived areas, all creating more jobs. With properly designed road links and ever more efficient PTUS (power train units) congestion and pollution issues are addressed so although well intended, the consequences of not building better roads is both damaging to the environment and makes the UK less competitive and poorer in the global economy. Mike Killpartrick

Bath