Issue 4 - The Roads & Runways Page
Roads

The Birmingham Northern Relief Road
twenty seven miles long, three lanes wide. The BNNR will smash through two sites of special scientific interest and run next to seven schools. The largest new road planned for Britain will be built by Kvaerner, the massive Norwegian gas and construction company which inherited the contract when it bought Trafalgar House last year. This £500 million white elephant will have toll booths built by the Italian company Iretecna. The booths will even have fresh air piped in for the operators.

Kvaemer now has it's head office in London: K1aerner, St. James House, 23 Kings Street, London. Tel: 0171766 2000. The chairman, Kasper P Kielland, is waiting to be reminded how unpopular and unprofitable building new roads is in Britain.
Contact: West Midlands Transport Campaign, c/o 55
Follyhouse Lane, Walsall, WS1 3EL Tel/Fax: 01922 36601.

If the government decides, as it might, not to widen the M6 which leads into the proposed BNNR the appeal of the latter will be reduced, due to less traffic and hence less tolls. Get lobbying nowl

Unhappy birthday
Saturday 24th May 1997 marked the 25th Anniversary of Spaghetti Junction. A Department of Transport (DoT) anniversary celerbration in a park festive with balloons immediately below the junction, was turned into a memorial service by anti-roads campaigners and a larger-than-life badger.
Contact: Birmmgham FoE

A34 Newbury Bypass
The junction "improvemens" on the A34 Newbuty Bypass/ M4 have been cancelled saving the tax payer £30m. Furthermore a new public enquiry would he needed if it were to pro ceed as the line orders are no longer valid. Despite the fact that the junction improvents are integral to the bypass the Dot has always maintained they are separate. Could this be because the proposed interchange has been subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment and the bypass has not?
Contact: Third Battle of Newbury - 01635 45544

A16 Peaks Parkway
Like Stringers Common this is a local authority scheme, this time by North East Lincs Council. It comprises of 7 km of single carrriageway along a disused railwayline near Grimsby.

This road wades in at £10.8m, started in February and is expected to be complete in eighteen months. And why is this self fulfilling prophecy needed? Traffic is expected to increase by 40% in Grimsby by 2010. Direct action has already started. Six local people were arrested on Aptil 25th when trying to stop the destruction work by contractors Birse, of Barton on Humber,
Contact: Stop The Road on Peaks Parkway STROPP: 01472 278 845

Salisbury Bypass
In Autumn 1996, Young and Gummer said they were "minded to" proceed with the road, pending reports from the Countryside Commission and English Nature. Both groups slammed the proposed road. Labour have promised another inquiry.

The proposed road is an eleven mile concrete necklace which will trash two SSSls, the River Avon proposed SAC, a rare grassland meadow, two chalkstream rivers, 31 archaeological sites, a football ground, a school a playing field and allotments.
Contact: Salisbury 'friends of the earth: 01722 321

Stringers Common Guildford REPRIEVED!
On May 13th Surrey County Council releases a press announcement that due to financial restraints it would scrap theA320 road widening scheme. A lack of central govemment funding for the £2.9m scheme and the prospect of Non-Violent Dirrect Action swayed the decision.

Airports

Manchester
As we go to press eviction of protesters from the trees and tunnels in tbe Bollin Valley has allmost been completed, having lasted nearly four weeks and cost the airport £millions.

A new camp is being established on a propossed access road. Protestors voiced their concern at the AMEC AGM held in Manchester on Wednesday 4th June.

People involved in the highly successful campaign against expansion of Schipol airport in Amsterdam visited in April to demonstrate runway blockading techniques. Schipol has five runways and protestors have no plans to blockade Manchesters single runway yet.
Contact: Coalition Against Runways Tel:0161834 8221

Heathrow Terminal 5
The public inquiry'celebrated'it's second year on May 16th. Numerous organisations pledged their continued opposition to the airport expansion followed by a walk. The T5 plans will be damaged if John Prescott, Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment cancels the M25 widening.
Contact: West London FoE: 0171 5f 6 1678

Right Prices for Air Travel
A Europe wide campaign to include environmental cost in the price of air travel has been launched. Initiated by Netherlands Friends of the Earth the coalition met ealier for the first time this year. Currently there is no VAT on air tickets and no excise duty on aviation fuel.