SHOCK A36 ABOUT TURN COULD COST LIVES SAYS SANDRA GIDLEY MP

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 26th Sep 2007

Transport Minister, Tom Harris, has recently informed MPs of plans to remove the A36/A46 route from the New Deal Detrunking programme.

The route, which spans from the M4 to the M27 near Southampton, passes through five local highway authority areas and it has become apparent that detrunking the route cannot be achieved without risking a fragmented approach with some sections detrunked whilst others are not.

The Minister has highlighted in his letter that the route plays an important intra regional function, linking key urban areas. In the event of detrunking, it has been suggested that the five local highway authorities covered by this route would need to agree a common approach to its management. In addition, the Eddington report, carried out by Sir Rod Eddington on behalf of the Government, highlighted the need for key roads to be managed in a reliable and consistent manner to allow them to service the Country's economic needs.

Based on these assertions, the Minister has concluded that removing this route from the detrunking programme is the best way to maintain its primary function and consequently achieve joined up and consistent management.

The Minister has tried to further justify his decision in claiming that maintenance and safety issues at a number of locations along the route are unlikely to be overcome within a short timescale.

Commenting, Sandra Gidley said:

"I am extremely concerned that this decision will lead to more and heavier traffic on the A36. The last thing we need is an extra burden of heavy container lorries through Hampshire. They will be drawn into the A36 corridor by the prospect of faster roads past Salisbury and up to the M4.

Constituents have already raised concerns that the inevitable consequence is that the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency will return with plans that have already been rejected in 1994 for a fast road through the Blackwater Valley, through the ancient woodland at Whiteparish, through the chalk downland at Pepperbox Hill and on over the Avon meadows to Bath and Bristol.

I will be seeking an early meeting with the Minister and the Highways Agency asking for reassurance on some of these points. "