I think you might find some interesting information if you look out the
research and possibly the commercial property use/rents etc in the various
towns & villages between Perth and Inverness as the A9 improvements moved on
through the 1980's (and the earlier partial by-passes of the 1970's which,
is a supreme example of waste were themselves bypassed just 10-15 years
after they were built. If the rebuilt A9 were a railway it would have been
shut years ago due to the deplorable level of utilisation given the cost of
this resource in capital and revenue terms - on some nights I have never
seen a vehicle going my way and very few passing in the other direction in
the 108 miles between Inverness and Perth (I know its 108 miles because my
old CZ 175 did almost precisely 100 miles on a thankful, and with no fuel at
that time available between Inverness and Perth between 20.00 and 06.00 I
had to carry a petrol can - on a motorbike)
You might also see something similar with the A65 between Leeds and the M6,
albeit on a more piecemeal basis over a longer period, and the A38 between
Exeter & Plymouth may have had the same effect.
Dave Holladay
6 Woodlands Terrace
Glasgow]
G3 6DD
0141 332 4733
07 710 535 404
-----Original Message-----
From: Universities Transport Study Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Dave Morris
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 4:31 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [UTSG] Social and economic impacts of by-passes
Dear Colleagues,
I'm looking for evidence of the wider impacts of road-building schemes on
small communities.
The background:
Public consultation recently showed support for construction of a by-pass
around a small, rural town. The town currently retains some wonderful
architecture and a very vibrant and localised (read non-corporate) economy.
As such, it could teach us a lot about social and economic sustainability
within such communities.
Despite the publicly perceived "need" for a bypass, Ministers have expressed
interest in alternative measures and have requested references and examples
of similar situations where "improved" road connections impacted negatively
upon the community.
Does anyone know of:
1. Research into the negative impacts of road-building on small/
self-contained towns;
2. Information on a policy move away from by-passes in Germany in
the 1990s(?).
Many thanks,
Dave Morris
[log in to unmask]
Transport Studies Group
Loughborough University, UK
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