Regional Director Glen Owen said:
“Whilst we have always welcomed the upgrade as essential to the smooth flow of traffic through the region, we felt a toll road was not the best solution in this particular case. Many would go out of their way to avoid it resulting in congestion on minor roads and in towns and villages ill-equipped to deal with it. Clearly the Government has listened to the region and common sense has prevailed."
Glen also welcomed the news in the Chancellors autumn statement that Cambridge will be able to retain more of its tax revenues to fund transport and housing.
“This is excellent news and will spur projects aimed at the city’s traffic problems. The additional money could also be used to open more disused rail links and create more safe cycling routes.“
Yesterday’s announcements about the country’s infrastructure is also good news. The ICE Director General Nick Baveystock said:
“The National Infrastructure Plan plays a critical role in enabling the UK to compete in a modern world, creating jobs and growth and providing the stability for the UK to grow its engineering skills and capacity. Previous editions of the Plan have set out a much needed and welcome vision for infrastructure, but the need for it to evolve into a robust delivery plan - aligned with the UK’s strategic goals – has become more pressing. The new 2013 Plan, with its updated pipeline of projects, further £25bn investment and evidence of a shift to “delivery mode”, is a positive step and presents us with an opportunity to drive this agenda forward.”