Angered by the
Highways Agency's refusal to suggest more than one route for the
proposed new road, the Green Party thinks the best idea is to use
the line of the existing road. They say it would be fine if it was
turned into a dual carriageway and had by-passes around Bradwell
and Marks Tey.
More than 50
people at a public meeting last week heard Green councillor James
Abbott say the idea:
would eliminate
through traffic in those villages
could be completed
quicker
would destroy
less countryside.
He also suspected
that the Highways Agency might have another motive in mind for routing
their proposed road through disused Rivenhall Airfield, which has
been controversially designated a future major waste disposal site
by Essex County Council.
He said: "The
county council has been working with the Highways Agency to come
up with this route, so we are very concerned that a new road through
the airfield will be the trigger for a massive amount of industrial
development there."
The proposed
road would create two streams of traffic - one on the new and one
on the old A120. The Agency admits it would also leave Bradwell
and Marks Tey suffering from an estimated 12,400 vehicles a day.
The Green suggestion
would mean by-passes would be built at the same time as the improvement
to the existing A120, relieving the villages of through traffic.
Highways Agency
spokeswoman Kelly Logan said all possible routes had been examined
and the one which offered the most benefits economically and environmentally
was chosen.
She said: "We
still need feedback from the public so we can take on their comments.
The southern route is not set in stone, but we believe it is the
best for a number of reasons."
The campaigners
have the backing of Braintree MP Alan Hurst, who said: "The
Highway Agency's suggestion for a single route is like Henry Ford
saying his cars were available in any colour you liked - so long
as it was black."
He hoped something
positive would come out of the public consultation period, which
ends in June.