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31st March 2005
Dear Sir,
Proposed tunnel a 'missing link'?
Mr Hanson claims that a gulf is growing between the North East and the South ("Tyne tunnel is 'missing link' to our success", March 26th edition). If this gulf reflects the better quality of life in the North-East then that is excellent news. Unfortunately, Mr Hanson has failed to understand the cause of the economic divide on which he is commenting. Building more roads simply increases car traffic, congestion and pollution, and hampers access by goods vehicles, ambulances and other essential services including buses, on the majority of our roads. What is needed is more projects like the Sage in Gateshead and the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland which encourage people to spend time and money in the Region, thus directly creating employment, and at a much reduced cost.
Mr Hanson's attempt to link the Tyne crossing with the importance of the A19 in the national road strategy is equally flawed. By his own description, most of the traffic generated on the route originates in Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Teesside and hence has no need to cross the Tyne on its way to Leeds and Manchester. Curiously, when the tunnel project was launched, South Tyneside Council claimed that it would serve local, not strategic through traffic. Perhaps Mr Hanson is now trying to jump on a bandwagon?
We in the Tyne Crossings Alliance do not accept that a new road tunnel is either necessary or desirable to "create jobs". The ensuing additional traffic would impede essential access generally in the Region, and pedestrians can already cross the River by train via Newcastle and by ferry, cycle tunnel and pedestrian tunnel. If the need for more access for job creation can be proved then we would support an extension of the Metro from South Shields to North Shields, and improved bus services to suit. We believe that this option would be cheaper as well as environmentally friendly. The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority's (PTA) own Orpheus scheme would have an important part to play. Consequently, a delay in the decision on the proposed new crossing is an excellent thing if it enables the better solution of roads pricing and other traffic reduction measures to be implemented instead.
We have pointed out that the PTA's proposed changes to the previous tolling and land acquisition arrangements, which were submitted after the Inquiry, would make large toll rises much more likely and would leave the public to foot the bill if the Concessionaire should fail. We note that the Scottish Executive has purchased the Skye Bridge because the economic tolls being levied by the concessionaire were considered to be damaging to the island's economy. That is not a good augury for the Tyne.
Finally, we note that further late changes proposed by the PTA would deny residents who live adjacent to the tunnel their democratic right to petition parliament about the protection of their scarce open spaces. We would have expected the Councillor for Bede to be particularly keen to support local residents in this respect.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Winch,
Co-ordinator,
Tyne Crossings Alliance.
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