Government pledges another £81m for cycle lanes
The government has boosted its “active travel” budget by another £81m to £338m.
The money will promote cycling and walking across the country and further increase the construction of bike lanes.
The government said: “This funding will help see the construction of hundreds of miles of new high-quality cycle lanes.”
A new version of the Highway Code is also being published which “ensures road users who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they may pose to others.”
The new code will also give “guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and ensuring that cyclists have priority at junctions when travelling straight ahead.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads and do your bit for the environment.
“As we build back greener from the pandemic, we’re determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone.
“This £338 million package marks the start of what promises to be a great summer of cycling and walking, enabling more people to make those sustainable travel choices that make our air cleaner and cities greener.”
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Campaigners win court fight to block £1.7bn Stonehenge tunnel
Campaigners have won a court battle to block the £1.7bn construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge.
Mr Justice Holgate has ruled that a decision to allow a dual carriage way road and tunnel to be built within the ancient World Heritage Site was unlawful.
The judgment effectively quashes development consent for the A303 improvement project which was granted by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Shapps will now have to decide whether to appeal against the judge’s ruling that he had not properly assessed the risk of harm to the World Heritage Site
The judge further concluded that Shapps had made an error of law by failing to consider alternatives to the scheme, such as a longer tunnel, which may have been less damaging to the Stonehenge.
Highways England said: “We now have to wait while the Department for Transport considers its options.
“This is a setback, but we remain confident our project is the best solution to the ongoing issues along the A303 past Stonehenge and was developed after a long and extensive collaboration with our key stakeholders.
“We are hugely disappointed by the decision, and we know this will also dismay many people in the local community who have waited decades for a solution and all those who use the road to travel to work or on holiday in the south west.”
John Adams, Acting Chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance, said: “We could not be more pleased about the outcome of the legal challenge.
“The Stonehenge Alliance has campaigned from the start for a longer tunnel if a tunnel should be considered necessary. Ideally, such a tunnel would begin and end outside the WHS.
“But now that we are facing a climate emergency, it is all the more important that this ruling should be a wake-up call for the Government. It should look again at its roads programme and take action to reduce road traffic and eliminate any need to build new and wider roads that threaten the environment as well as our cultural heritage.”
Leigh Day solicitor Rowan Smith said: “This is a huge victory, which means, for now, Stonehenge is safe.
“The judgment is a clear vindication of our client’s tremendous efforts in campaigning to protect the World Heritage Site.
“The development consent for this damaging tunnel has been declared unlawful and is now quashed, and the Government will have to go back to the drawing board before a new decision can be made. Meanwhile, one of the country’s most cherished heritage assets cannot be harmed.”
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5 Reasons Construction Projects Fail
For commercial contractors, both GCs and subs, a successful project is one completed on time and within budget. The client is happy with the finished product and the contractor walks away with a tidy profit. Everybody wins. When a project fails, it’s typically due to conflicts and issues that cause cost overruns and delays in the schedule.
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