7 Reasons Why Labour are Wrong to Back the M4 Black Route
7 Reasons Why Labour are Wrong to Back the M4 Black Route
This is a seriously bad idea.
This is a seriously bad idea.
It’s WAY too expensive
When this idea was first seriously considered by the Welsh Government back in 2004, it was expected to take two years to complete and expected to cost £350m. The First Minster has since said the cost would be “nowhere near” £1 billion – he was right. The projected cost for the project has since quadrupled to an eye-watering £1.4 billion. £1.4 billion equates to roughly 10% of the Welsh Government’s whole annual budget. And we all know how projects like this all too often end up costing the taxpayer even more than the astronomical initial projections. This is too much money to spend on one bit of unnecessary road, wouldn’t you agree?
Investment should be spread across the nation
The south east of Wales has received much more infrastructure spend to date than the rest of Wales. It would be better to invest the money evenly around the country, so the whole of our nation receives the benefits of devolution. Leanne Wood says: “We have to spread wealth and prosperity throughout the nation - focusing spending on one small corner of the nation is completely unacceptable to Plaid Cymru”. Above are Plaid Cymru’s plans for road improvements, from our recent Assembly manifesto.
Unlike what hardline Tory Brexiteers would have you believe, experts really do know best. Economic, transport and climate change experts including well respected Professors Gerald Holtham and Kevin Anderson have criticised the Black Route plans. According to Mr Anderson: “The M4 scheme is emblematic of a failure to acknowledge the challenges enshrined in the Paris Agreement. If it proceeds it will illustrate the Welsh Government’s disregard for its climate change commitments and the impacts of unchecked emissions on future generations of Welsh citizens and those poorer and climatically vulnerable communities elsewhere in the world today”.
FSB Wales (Federation of Small Businesses Wales) has described the Welsh Government’s preferred Black Route as “a billion pound mistake” (of course by now it’s a 1.4 billion pound mistake). They favour the Blue Route, as do we (more on this below).
Environmental groups are all opposed
If Buglife Cymru, Butterfly Conservation Wales, Campaign for Better Transport, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, Friends of the Earth Cymru, RSPB Cymru, Sustrans Cymru, The Woodlanders, Wildlife Trust Wales and the Woodland Trust ALL think the Black Route would be a disaster for the environment, we should probably listen to them, right?
Do we REALLY want more cars on our roads?
No. More cars means more fumes and pollution and goes against the spirit of the Welsh Government’s own stated objectives as set out in the Future Generations Act. Even some Labour backbenchers have made this point in the media. This shows the strength of feeling on the issue since Labour backbenchers do not usually publicly disagree with their government. There is also strong evidence to suggest that the Welsh Government’s traffic flow forecasts are inflated, which could lead to the Black Route creating demand rather than meeting it.
Yes, you read that right, going down the Black Route isn’t even the only option for improving the M4. There is an alternative. It’s called the Blue Route, and this is the one Plaid Cymru is backing. We want to cut congestion but we want to do this without destroying the natural environment and blowing a huge hole in our country’s finances. It’s not just us that backs this plan - there is widespread support for it because unlike Labour’s plan it actually makes sense. It’s also been endorsed by none other than Welsh transport guru Prof Stuart Cole. But don’t take our word for it, read his fact-filled super-comprehensive 20-page report which explains in great detail exactly why the Blue Route is the way to go by clicking on the above link.