Wednesday, December 03, 2008
More splits in One Wales
This time on the Labour side where Huw Lewis has taken exception to yesterday's much-heralded announcement by the Plaid Cymru Economy and Transport Minister on roads and trains.
On his blog Huw writes: 'It was with deep dismay that I looked over the Trunk Road announcement made by Ieuan Wyn Jones yesterday. There's no surprise that the Minister has been dodging questions on the Heads of the Valleys road for over a year. The answers, when they finally came, were totally unacceptable.'
Huw says that the dualling of the A465 was always meant to be an ambitious programme, but now 'the Minister is reneging on Assembly Government commitments exactly because it is costly and ambitious. I now have genuine concerns about the success of the wider Heads of the Valleys regeneration programme which always relied on the dualling of the road. Leaving aside the very strong case for improvements on the grounds of safety, the current economic situation demands a better plan than this.'
He argues that this is an ideoogical issue: 'Put simply, the A465 improvements have been sidelined in favour of improvements to North-South links. That is a cultural and political decision, not a strategic economic decision.'
Expect some hard-hitting questions at future scrutiny sessions.
On his blog Huw writes: 'It was with deep dismay that I looked over the Trunk Road announcement made by Ieuan Wyn Jones yesterday. There's no surprise that the Minister has been dodging questions on the Heads of the Valleys road for over a year. The answers, when they finally came, were totally unacceptable.'
Huw says that the dualling of the A465 was always meant to be an ambitious programme, but now 'the Minister is reneging on Assembly Government commitments exactly because it is costly and ambitious. I now have genuine concerns about the success of the wider Heads of the Valleys regeneration programme which always relied on the dualling of the road. Leaving aside the very strong case for improvements on the grounds of safety, the current economic situation demands a better plan than this.'
He argues that this is an ideoogical issue: 'Put simply, the A465 improvements have been sidelined in favour of improvements to North-South links. That is a cultural and political decision, not a strategic economic decision.'
Expect some hard-hitting questions at future scrutiny sessions.
Comments:
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As someone who used to travel up and down the A465 between Llanelli and Ebbw Vale I can asure readers that its one of the worst roads I have ever come across.
Why would anyone think that keeping it as a three lane deathtrap is satisfactory is beyond me!
Why would anyone think that keeping it as a three lane deathtrap is satisfactory is beyond me!
# posted by 
: 5:32 PM
: 5:32 PM
dodging questions for a year?
as Huw must know, IWJ has only been minister for 6 months. Who was dodging the questions before?
Whats wrong with improving north-south links? Why is that ideological and Huw's preferred option not?
More Tribalist self-promotion from Huw, hero of the Valleys.
as Huw must know, IWJ has only been minister for 6 months. Who was dodging the questions before?
Whats wrong with improving north-south links? Why is that ideological and Huw's preferred option not?
More Tribalist self-promotion from Huw, hero of the Valleys.
# posted by : 7:14 PM
: 7:14 PM
The road-safety arguement for the A465 improvements very strong. However the idea that improved roads bring economic development have long been discredited.
Look at Holyhead. It has a fantastic dual-carriageway connection to England and a fast-ferry connection to Dublin. It is as poor as anywhere in the Heads of the Valleys region. Empirical studiesaround the world over four decades have shown that improved road connections are "benefit neutral" in economic terms.
Yes, you might attract distribution centres (as Trish Law argued with the Amazon development) but you loose small local service providers as consumers can more easily access larger and cheaper alternatives. Merthyr is a good example. The easy access to Cardiff has eneabled new developments like the WAG offices but the small businessses in the town centre and the little service companies based in Pentre Bach have died.
A political and cultural motive is actually more honest than an economic one. The "new road to bring jobs" is merely a politician bleating that "something must be done.
Look at Holyhead. It has a fantastic dual-carriageway connection to England and a fast-ferry connection to Dublin. It is as poor as anywhere in the Heads of the Valleys region. Empirical studiesaround the world over four decades have shown that improved road connections are "benefit neutral" in economic terms.
Yes, you might attract distribution centres (as Trish Law argued with the Amazon development) but you loose small local service providers as consumers can more easily access larger and cheaper alternatives. Merthyr is a good example. The easy access to Cardiff has eneabled new developments like the WAG offices but the small businessses in the town centre and the little service companies based in Pentre Bach have died.
A political and cultural motive is actually more honest than an economic one. The "new road to bring jobs" is merely a politician bleating that "something must be done.
# posted by : 12:40 AM
: 12:40 AM
Well, that's just rubbish. In recent years Holyhead has seen a lot of economic development in the town - whereabouts? You guessed it! Around the A55. Massive improvements to the Ferry terminal that wouldn't have happened without the improved road. Retail developments flying up in the last five years faster than the last twenty five years - all around the road. If you look at Tesco and Stena alone they probably employ about 10% of the town's workforce. Neither would be there without the improved communication links.
# posted by : 9:56 AM
: 9:56 AM
Right...improved communications dont help to encourage economic development...
Strange then that the towns located on or along the M4 corridoor tend to be the ones that prosper, or is that just a bizzare coincidence. This is an 'empirical' observation anonymous, one based on having lived in South Wales all my life.
Improving roads does not always bring economic advantage of course but you are way of the mark here.
Strange then that the towns located on or along the M4 corridoor tend to be the ones that prosper, or is that just a bizzare coincidence. This is an 'empirical' observation anonymous, one based on having lived in South Wales all my life.
Improving roads does not always bring economic advantage of course but you are way of the mark here.
# posted by : 10:17 AM
: 10:17 AM
I have to agree with two previous anons - of course roads and communications infrastructure bring huge ecnomic benefit.
Spending huge somes of money on wooly cultural ideals is frankly bullshit.
Check out the Fibrespeed project which the WAG launched last week.
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Spending huge somes of money on wooly cultural ideals is frankly bullshit.
Check out the Fibrespeed project which the WAG launched last week.
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