Tag: a12

• Lightwood loses by a submission

  Still on the subject of Essex road widening, a bizarre exchange has taken place between a Tory MP and the roads minister about the decision by the last government to delay the start of works on the A12 widening project, with the minister telling the Tory that he cannot see “advice” given to the Tories.

  With the roads minister being Simon Lightwood, of course there is a degree of evasiveness, obstructiveness and chicanery, with the upshot being that the Tories want to show that they didn’t shelve the scheme – which Labour formally cancelled – and Lightwood wanting to suggest that they did.

  It seems to go back to a question last year from local MP Priti Patel, asking for

  an assessment of the changes in costs for the A12 widening scheme following the decision taken by the Secretary of State to pause that scheme in July 2024

  This relates to the decision by the then transport secretary, Louise Haigh, soon after Labour came to power, to put a number of large schemes into a review. The scheme was cancelled a year later.

  

  With Patel obviously wanting to blame the pause for the cost increase, Lightwood pointed out that the Tories had deferred the scheme in March 2024. The latest cost estimate he gave was up to £1.27bn in September 2022.

  A few questions later, Tory Greg Smith asked:

  whether a written ministerial direction, submission, or other formal decision document exists in relation to the March 2024 decision to defer the start of construction on the A12 widening scheme

  Lightwood decided to answer the question selectively:

  (more…)

  2026.05.29

• Not so Cleverly done: BBC bins balance, backs road building

  The BBC has a very poor, and quite late, report on the decision to cancel the A120 Braintree to Marks Tey dualling scheme, with no consideration of whether continuous road building is a good idea in a climate emergency, or even the only solution to a poor safety record.

  The cancellation of the scheme emerged when the Road Investment Strategy was published in March and it was removed from the pipeline of future works.

  Ministers say the project is no longer affordable, but some of those who live, work and travel on the trunk road are angered by the decision and fear for its future sustainability.

  

  Having admitted that it may only be “some” people who are angered by the decision, the BBC then devotes its article exclusively to those views.

  The road does appear to have an appalling safety record, approximately one fatality a year this century but:

  Average speed cameras were installed between Braintree and Marks Tey in 2025 and a new 50mph (80km/h) limit was enforced for most of the route.

  While it’s too early to tell what the impact of this might be, there will be statistics. But the BBC doesn’t need statistics, when it has subjective claims to rely on:

  (more…)

  2026.05.28