Local Travellers 'Abandoned' Says Regional Assembly Member

8.45.00pm GMT Mon 28th Nov 2005

Local regional assembly member, Cllr Alan Dean, has accused the Department for Transport of abandoning local people in the battle over growth at Stansted Airport. Last week the government told the East of England Regional Assembly that it was abandoning plans to widen the M11 north of Stansted to three lanes until at least 2021.

Cllr Dean said: "If the government were abandoning its plans for major growth at the airport, a two-lane motorway might make sense. Instead they are abandoning local road users and also rail travellers to suffer congestion and pollution from the side effects of air passenger growth at Stansted.

"Next month local rail travellers, especially commuters, will feel the effect of being abandoned to commercial self-interest when Stansted Express train services are boosted at the expense of non-airport trains and travellers. The new rail timetable has already caused an outcry. Now there is more to cry about!

"I raised these concerns at last Thursday's meeting of the assembly's executive committee. I will be calling for the money saved from the M11 project to be pumped in to boosting the capacity of the rail network between Cambridge, Stansted and London. Rail travel is environmentally more acceptable than road, but people won't use trains if the service is poor."

Cllr Dean added wryly: "I am not yet convinced that this U-turn on M11 widening is a sign that the government will do a U-turn on a second runway at Stansted".