Kingskerswell bypass: "The type of dimwitted road building initiatives we should be avoiding"

By PRSD, on Thursday, June 24, 2010

The South Devon Green Party attended a protest camp to object to the yet-to-be-approved Kingkerswell Bypass.

Standing in one of the gardens that will be taken for this project Paula Black, Devon’s Green Party County Councillor, said: “The demands for a bypass are being made at the detriment to peoples lives, the environment and to the economy of Torbay.

“There is no evidence to suggest that the economic well-being of Torbay will be increased. In fact, it is more likely that trade will leech further from The Bay, as there will be a perceived time saving for leaving The Bay to find work, trade and consumer goods.

“The maximum time saving will be five minutes, yet for five minutes speed we are to witness a huge loss to the local environment, public space and a spiraling bill at a time when the public services are being cut. These cuts will equate to a real loss in services for the most vulnerable, yet we are to waste funds on building roads that will do little to actually reduce congestion, is likely to make the existing route a more dangerous road as speeds and rat running will increase.”

Dr Sam Moss, who stood as the Parlimentary candidate in Torbay, said: “This proposal is symetmatic of the type of dimwitted road building initiatives we should be avoiding.

“What really needs considering are viable alternatives which actively help to decarbonise our local economy and wean us off our dependance on the motor car since road transport is currently the only sector of the local economy in which climate changing carbon emissions are expanding. We need to expedite change by developing public transport, opening new railway stations, getting frieght on to the railway infastructure, and by developing a truly local sustaining economy non reliant on centralised food and energy.”

David Bailey, a longtime campaigner for integrated transport and environmental issues related, said: “A decision to support this road is both socially and environmentally unacceptable, as the by-pass will cause irreversible damage to the surrounding eco-systems. It would also result in increased atmospheric pollution and would be a significant step towards the down-grading of Devon as a rural county of natural beauty and a popular tourist attraction, as well as degrade property values.”

Paula pointed out that she’d been contacted by locals and others who were so angry that this road may be considered, they were pledging to take direct action to halt the development if the project was to go ahead.