IT IS shameful that the Welsh government intends to compulsorily purchase a nature reserve near Magor simply to put a new motorway through it.
How much more of our precious natural environment is to be sacrificed to this vanity project?
So there is occasional serious congestion on the M4 but what is the problem here – too little road capacity or too many vehicles?
Something like 84,000 vehicles go back and forth over the two Severn bridges, Monday to Friday, representing a tremendous waste of resources.
Most of this traffic arises from people travelling to work, so the need therefore is not for another road but for more jobs in South Wales.
The economic case for the new road is threadbare and seems to be based on some notion of ‘poaching’ jobs from across the Severn.
Certainly, jobs will be created during the construction of the road, but these will not all be local jobs and won’t help to create a sustainable economy for the region.
I have the impression that the WAG are going ahead with the new road because after shilly-shallying for so long they are now being forced to make a decision – unfortunately they have made the wrong decision.
We need jobs in Wales but all this new road will do is make it a bit easier for people living in Wales to get to their jobs in England.

Clive Shakesheff
Lewis Way
Chepstow