Ormskirk
by-pass
?
The
aggravated question of a by-pass goes back over decades. It
illustrates a number of important themes in local traffic management
and public activism.
In 1987 the
Government recommended the provision of a by-pass. In
1996, following public 'consultation' on alternative routes, the
Secretary of State for Transport chose a 'preferred' route. In 1998 the
Government decided to abandon the project and Lancashire County Council
took on the task. In 2005 the Council approved a design. The 'final'
scheme was announced in 2007.
This version of
the project was for a single carriageway in each
direction. It would be 5 miles long with five roundabouts and a speed
limit of 60 miles an hour. The only lighting would be at junctions. It
would pass from the M58 between Westhead and Scarth Hill and would exit
at the road into Scarisbrick.
A hurried
process of 'public consultation' was set up by L.C.C. in
August 2007. The Labour M.P. for West Lancashire, Rosie Cooper,
declared her strong support and the Council clearly did not expect any
opposition to the scheme; County Councillor Tony Martin was their front
man. 'Everyone' would agree that a by-pass was essential.
The consultation
was set to end by 31 August 2007 and this tight
deadline provoked a rapid response from the public. Two campaigning
groups co-ordinated their opposition and the battle began.
West Lancashire
Green Party and the 'Protect Rural Ormskirk' pressure
group conducted a
model campaign which left the Highways Department of Lancashire County
Council in serious disarray. The Campaign to Protect Rural England was
also prominent.
These groups
picketed the exhibition at the Civic Hall and elsewhere,
distributing thousands of leaflets which were highly effective in
swaying public opinion.
The L.C.C.'s
response was inept. When they appeared at public meetings,
their traffic calculations were ridiculed and they seemed to be unaware
of many of the environmental issues involved. It became very clear that
their idea of planning recognised only motor traffic. The L.C.C.'s
world took no account of public transport; they were concerned only
with cars and lorries.
The Green Party
and P.R.O. took different lines in their opposition but
they were both vigorous in a powerful debate in the local media
including the two newspapers and the various radio stations. Our
scrapbook contains 52 letters, most strongly objecting to the planned
road. There seemed to be only one solitary supporter.
One oddity was
that the Labour County Councillor
for Ormskirk remained silent throughout, expressing neither agreement
nor disagreement. An Ormskirk vicar stated that the Parish Church was
in danger of crumbling because of the road vibration.
Petitions for
and against the by-pass were set up on the 'Ten Downing
Street' website; the final scores were : 280 against the scheme, 66 in
favour.
The final level
of support for the road fell from a convincing 70% in
1996 to an underwhelming 55% in 2007.
The main points
of opposition to the by-pass were :
# the
destructive effect on the farmland and the open countryside
which would be invaded by the road; this would also encourage an
'in-fill' of house-building on the land between Ormskirk and the
by-pass;
# the
likely expense ; first official estimates predicted a cost
of £38 million; this was clearly a serious underestimate; a local
County Councillor said he would become worried only if it rose to
£150 million;
# the
simplistic idea that moving traffic from the M58 to the
A570 would 'solve' the traffic 'problem';
#
experience elsewhere, most recently in Newbury, that a by-pass
will not reduce the amount of traffic in a town; it will merely be
shifted from one place to another; it might even increase traffic
levels.
The by-pass
scheme was officially abandoned (again) in September 2008
and it would be unlikely to attract funding for another 20 years. In
the meantime road traffic levels could fall as fuel becomes more scarce
and the environmental costs of road traffic become unbearable.
What can we
learn from this saga ?
1. Transport
'planners' must overcome their fixation on private road
vehicles and road-building; they should orient themselves towards
efficient travel alternatives.
2. Public
opinion will respond to reasoned environmental messages and
will reject official obstructionism.
3. The days of
simple transport 'fixes' are over. All means of
transport must be co-ordinated and the privatisation of transport
should be unravelled; this is now beginning to happen as the private
sector cuts its losses and hands franchises back to a Government which
detests 'nationalisation'. Maybe the next Government will be more
attentive ?
Rosie Cooper
continues to insist that a by-pass is necessary. And on
360 days a year, traffic through Ormskirk continues to move without
serious delays. The Parish Church has not yet collapsed.