Opposition to M4 plans grows (From South Wales Argus)
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Opposition to M4 plans grows
8:00pm Sunday 10th June 2012 in Gwent news
OPPOSITION to a controversial proposal to build a second tunnel under Brynglas and widen the M4 to four lanes has spread across Newport.
St Julians' Lib Dem councillor Ed Townsend said some residents in the ward could face being moved if the proposal to widen the M4 between junctions 24 and 29 came into being.
The £550 million scheme – known as option D – is one of four being looked at in a Welsh Government consultation on measures to reduce congestion and improve safety and pollution on the M4.
Cllr Townsend said several streets such as Stockton Close, Stockton Road and Cumberland Road "are in the shadow of the motorway".
He said without detailed plans he couldn't know exactly, but "any widening of the motorway would either encroach on their homes or require them to be moved".
He added: "I really don't think that's the right way to go about addressing this particular problem."
Cllr Townsend – who was the only Lib Dem left in the council after the May election – said around 60 people attended a recent meeting in the ward over the issue.
"We don't think the proposal for an extra tunnel would address the problems that the motorway has," he said.
"If there is a problem with one of the tunnels Newport would still grind to a halt."
He said his preference in the consultation was for a new dual carriageway south of Newport – known as option A – which would cost £830 million.
He said if the right decisions were made about junctions and the route, the proposed road would take through traffic away from Newport providing an alternative route.
As well as options A and D, the Welsh Government consultation is also looking at two proposals for the Southern Distributor Road – providing either signal controlled junctions or new separated junctions.
For more information on the consultation, which finishes on July 6, visit www.m4cemconsultation.com.
Comments(16)
plumbob1
says...
3:01am Mon 11 Jun 12
Widening the M4 and extra tunnels is a no brainer.
plumbob1
says...
3:20am Mon 11 Jun 12
I can't see how they would accomplish this without mass demolition of fairly new properties on both sides of the existing tunnels.
Mervyn James
says...
9:05am Mon 11 Jun 12
SizzlerTrainers
says...
9:53am Mon 11 Jun 12
Opening more substations to foot passengers would help, let alone a connection from Rogerstone to Newport, that would ease traffic on the West side of the Tunnels surely, not the total solution by any means, but it would help.
The Welsh Government can't find the small amount (in comparison) to do this sort of thing, but they can find 5-800 million odd pounds to create the new road network/tunnels etc.
WhyWorry
says...
11:49am Mon 11 Jun 12
Occasional Visitor
says...
2:10pm Mon 11 Jun 12
If this data has not yet been collected & modelled - why not? or is local traffic management still formulated in the pub on a Friday night?
There is only one way that traffic volumes are going to go - Upwards - Newport should be planning for the future and goung for the solution which will still be workable in 30-50 years time.
My personal thought would be a new section of 3/4 lane motorway from the Magor tollbooths to Junction 29 with no exits in between.
All through traffic would use this and all local traffic could use the "old" motorway and Severn bridge.
NakedDancer
says...
3:59pm Mon 11 Jun 12
This debate is about the current through traffic standing near still around the tunnels with all the problems that creates for the economy and the health of people living near the motorway. Local alternative transport will have minimal impact on that problem.
The lead time on all options is many years and once again debate drags on whilst the city suffers. All that disruption for the M4 'improvements' over the past 5 years was a waste of taxpayer money and has had no benefit other than raise cash via speed camera tax.
Stop pontificating and just get on with a new motorway build south of Newport URGENTLY.
Radio Wales
says...
4:20pm Mon 11 Jun 12
All through traffic would use this and all local traffic could use the "old" motorway and Severn bridge. .......
I wonder why 'Occasional Visitor' considers traffic to/from the Midlands and North via the A449/J24 local?
One of the major problems facing Newport is that it's a hub for three major routes, (North, East and West) as well as high level valleys district traffic, plus local, a simple by-pass can't cut that. Although I do agree two Severn crossings merits two motorways or they're just wasted assets.
Occasional Visitor
says...
5:59pm Mon 11 Jun 12
Google Maps, TomTom etc all consider that the quickest route for traffic to/from the Midlands is via the Severn Bridges, M5 & M4. Not the M50, A449 & J24.
Admittedly it's a small difference in time, 7 mins over 2 hours travelling, but shows the route is viable.
Any traffic that originates in Gwent, is really local traffic as that is the traffic that has the biggest influence at rush hour times; traffic from further afield will be hitting the northern route bottlenecks later on during the day.
Cymru Am Beth
says...
8:21am Wed 13 Jun 12
How can traffic originate in Gwent?
It does not exist anymore.
RJM400
says...
2:38pm Wed 13 Jun 12
May be the answer is to do nothing and people will learn to avoid the delays?
Bobevans
says...
6:35pm Wed 13 Jun 12
RJM400 wrote:It should not be a problem if proper systems are used. It really needs to be tunnelled with a shield which as it digs out a section puts in a concrete tunnel linning ring. This is the system used by the London Underground and by Cross rail
They had trouble building the existing Brynglas tunnels....with many houses ruined by subsidence. I have no doubt the same will occur if additional tunnels or widening of existing took place. It is the solution but for how long?
May be the answer is to do nothing and people will learn to avoid the delays?
Maybe they could use one of the Crossrail shields oonce they have finished with it.
Radio Wales
says...
3:25pm Thu 14 Jun 12
Occasional Visitor wrote:Transport companies don't use Tom-Tom, they use common sense. Why pay toll to use the bridge when you can use the M50/A449 for free?
@ Radio Wales
Google Maps, TomTom etc all consider that the quickest route for traffic to/from the Midlands is via the Severn Bridges, M5 & M4. Not the M50, A449 & J24.
Admittedly it's a small difference in time, 7 mins over 2 hours travelling, but shows the route is viable.
Any traffic that originates in Gwent, is really local traffic as that is the traffic that has the biggest influence at rush hour times; traffic from further afield will be hitting the northern route bottlenecks later on during the day.
Regular heavy traffic finds it worthwhile to come via Gloucester even from the east. Try watching A449/J24 for a while and see for yourself...
Traffic going from Magor to Cardiff is not local, it's through traffic. The distance travelled is irrelevant if not to Newport.
Mervyn James
says...
10:50am Sun 17 Jun 12
NakedDancer wrote:More roads equal more cars equal..... it has to stop some time. I hope you are wrong frankly, surely at some point the sheer cost of filling the tank taxes, and insurances etc will limit car ownership anyway. I still advocate that free public transport is one solution and leave the motorways to lorries and buses. Car dependency cannot be maintained, unless you live in a vacuum we have little or no oil or the money to pay for what there is....
Debates about reducing the number of cars on the road is just so pointless - it will never happen for many reasons.
This debate is about the current through traffic standing near still around the tunnels with all the problems that creates for the economy and the health of people living near the motorway. Local alternative transport will have minimal impact on that problem.
The lead time on all options is many years and once again debate drags on whilst the city suffers. All that disruption for the M4 'improvements' over the past 5 years was a waste of taxpayer money and has had no benefit other than raise cash via speed camera tax.
Stop pontificating and just get on with a new motorway build south of Newport URGENTLY.
Radio Wales
says...
5:34pm Sun 17 Jun 12
Frankly, the end of oil can't come too soon for me, it will spell the end of repressive practices meant to stifle other power sources. Your argument about too many cars equals the old argument about too many horses. We can never put the genie back in the bottle and it's up to us to develop ways of dealing with what we have.
A good start would be to re-develop ways of carrying freight by rail and canal again, but only the Gov't can do things like that, so why don't they?
Bobevans says...
9:59pm Sun 10 Jun 12
Does Ed Townsend seriously think building a bypass around Newport would not involve demolishing houses? Looking at the proposed route it would involve demolishing twice as many houses as well as costing at least double and without solving the M4 problem