This week speaking in a House of Commons debate on transport infrastructure in Essex I renewed my call for a second M11 junction for Harlow and the extension of the Oyster card as part of my long-running campaign to improve life for the town’s commuters.
I also recently raised the issues with new Transport Minister Simon Burns when he visited Harlow recently.
I highlighted a lack of investment in trains in the east of England and the problems caused by having only one motorway access into Harlow.
Improvements to local stations is to be welcomed but I called on the Government to investigate a third line in the Lea valley and line improvements along the Stansted Express route so trains can reach speeds of 100mph.
Infrastructure improvements at Roydon and Sawbridgeworth stations would also be welcomed.
On the issue of Oyster cards, I called for the expansion of the scheme and other smart card systems to include Harlow commuters while on the M11 junction issue, a new junction is critical if Harlow is to continue to grow and attract new businesses.
Harlow town alone has a population of some 81,000 or 82,000, in addition to that of the villages in my constituency, but we have only one entrance to the town, which is crazy for a huge employment hub close to London.
The industry is located at the opposite end of the town, meaning lorries must trundle back and forth almost through the town centre.
Almost every day our town faces gridlock because we do not have the extra junction.
I have welcomed Essex County Council’s £500,000 study into building a new junction (7A), the findings of which will be published next month.
The case for a new M11 junction is simple: it would cost only around £15m, would create jobs and growth, cut congestion and the cost of traffic, and would generally make Harlow a much better place to live.
Link to the full Hansard of the debate - http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2012-10-23a.189.0&s=speaker%3A24784#g198.0
No comments:
Post a Comment