Widening A14 would have been sufficient

READING the letters in last week’s issue it was pleasing to see that others are also sick and tired of seeing space once again being given to John Bridge in your paper to promote his agenda for the A14 in the July 13 edition.

Of course it is disgraceful that so much money has been spent in developing what was a grossly profligate scheme, but that is not the fault of those who raised sensible and legitimate objections to the now-abandoned proposals, but rather those like John Bridge and his supporters who continued to press for a scheme to suit their barely-disguised alternative agendas.

Even when one recognises that some improvement to the present A14 is needed, it was obvious to some of us that by adding a third lane to both sides of the present road would substantially alleviate the present problems besides being a significantly cheaper scheme.

It was completely “over the top” to promote the building of a new six-lane highway to add to the four lanes already existing.

The real agenda of some people in favour of the scheme is the creation of a corridor of urban development along the A14, no doubt flying the usual developer banner “it will create jobs”, without regard for the inevitable creation of more traffic and the addition of further damaging environmental pollution.

Many of us who live in south Cambridgeshire do so because we enjoy the valuable asset of the open countryside, which is part of Britain’s rural heritage. I for one do not want to see it sacrificed at the altar of commercial opportunism.

Let us hope that the demise of the old scheme now offers the opportunity for greener, less damaging environmental options to be properly evaluated.

P LANDUCCI

Hilton