Time to scrap the M4 black route, say Friends of the Earth Cymru

Environmental campaigners have today described the Welsh Government’s M4 plans as “not fit for purpose”.
Among the concerns raised by Friends of the Earth Cymru in their response [1] to the Welsh Government’s Draft Orders [2] are:
· Massively understating the cost of the motorway (through ignoring VAT and inflation)
· Serious deficiencies in the sustainable development appraisal
· Traffic forecasting that is already grossly out of touch with reality
· Long-standing failures to consider non-motorway alternatives
· Air quality will be better than legal standards without the new motorway by the time the motorway is proposed to be built
· A significant increase in noise for more than 1,200 people with the new motorway; without, a minor increase in noise for 38 people
· Ignoring the impact of sea-level rise on the new motorway
Gareth Clubb, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:
“The Welsh Government’s plans are flawed in any number of ways. The Welsh Government is trying to rush this proposal through while serious concerns remain - on cost, on environmental damage and on noise. Traffic numbers have failed to materialise in the way the Welsh Government forecast.
“Rather than ripping up the countryside to please the motoring lobby, we should be looking to support the many alternatives to road transport that contribute to sustainable futures and our well-being.
“It’s time the Welsh Government realised that this proposal is unsustainable, unpopular and unaffordable.

NOTES
1. http://foe.cymru/m4-draft-orders-response
2. The deadline for responses to the government’s plans is 4 May. Responses can be sent via email to info@m4-can.co.uk

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