• Daniel Laycock: “Increasing road capacity discourages the use of public transport and puts thousands of acres of countryside under threat”
Huntingdonshire Green Party has called for the Cambridgeshire County Council and the Combined Authority to scrap its road building programme, which severely undermines efforts to cut air pollution and carbon emissions.
Elections Officer, Daniel Laycock has said the the County Council and Combined Authorities road building programme, is completely at odds with the UK's role as chair of this year's COP and completely undermines any efforts to show global leadership there.
Laycock said: “It makes no sense to talk about climate ambition as a priority and carry on down this damaging path.
“Increasing road capacity will lead to a direct increase in both air pollution and emissions, while discouraging the use of public transport and putting thousands of acres of countryside under threat. Meanwhile, allowing the expansion of airports shows up the government’s alleged climate ambition for what it is - nothing more than greenwashing.
“The Local and National Government needs to urgently rethink and cancel projects that encourage high carbon-emitting means of transport and invest instead in a reliable public transport network as well as walking and cycling so wherever people live they are not forced to use a car.”
ENDS
Notes [1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/11/chancellor-announces-27bn-for-roadbuilding-in-budget, [2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/04/international-climate-scientists-join-call-to-halt-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion, [3] https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/02/11/greens-criticise-decision-to-allow-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion/