Ask Minister of Transport and Climate to halt work immediately on the A40 Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross bypass

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Ask Minister of Transport and Climate to halt work immediately on the A40 Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross bypass

Lee Walters Deputy Minister for Climate Change and Transport

To Lee Walters Deputy Minister for Climate Change and Transport

In the light of the climate emergency we are calling for all construction work on the bypass from Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross to be halted immediately while the Welsh Government’s Roads Review Panel (RRP) completes its consideration of this scheme.

Costing £60 million and causing an estimated 18,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the construction phase, this scheme will impact our climate for the next 100 years.

We are dismayed to see that work on the by-pass has commenced. There is a very real possibility that the review will find that this scheme should not proceed in its current form and so it is imperative that work is halted now to prevent unnecessary damage and CO2 emissions.

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Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth

To: Lee Walters Deputy Minister for Climate Change and Transport
From: [Your Name]

To: Lee Walters Deputy Minister for Climate Change and Transport
From: [Your Petition Signers]

We are dismayed to see that work on the by-pass on the A40 from the Llanddewi Velfrey to Penblewin and from Penblewin to Redstone Cross has commenced despite being included in the review of all road schemes by the Welsh Government’s Roads Review Panel (RRP). This work includes tree felling and the construction of a large compound with hard standing.

Over two years or more Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth have been objecting to the A40 by-pass from the Llanddewi Velfrey to Penblewin and from Penblewin to Redstone Cross.

Costing £60 million and causing an estimated 18,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the construction phase (1), it will impact our climate for the next 100 years.
This new road scheme will result in a significant loss and fragmentation of ancient woodland. It will impact negatively on a number of farms in the area and there is concern regarding its impact on a number of nationally and internationally important species including bats and otters.

The safety of other road users has been cited as a major advantage of the scheme. However we would argue that there are a number of ways to achieve this without building a completely new three lane road from Gwyndy to beyond Redstone Cross. The Welsh Government’s design would see 2 lanes of tarmac being replaced by five or six.

We support measures to improve safety and stress that we believe the money should be reallocated to improving local connectivity, safe routes for cycles and pedestrians and public transport. This would include a safe crossing at Llanddewi Velfrey with widening of pavements and traffic calming measures and also a safe crossing at Redstone Cross.

The new Transport for Quality of Life research by Friends of the Earth Nov. 2019 shows road schemes:
• generate more traffic and congestion
• lead to significant environmental and landscape damage.
• show little evidence of economic benefit to local economies

Sophie Howe Future Generations Commissioner for Wales (25/11/2020) wrote:
"Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth have raised with me the proposal for the A40 Penblewin to Redstone Cross Scheme, where the preferred options are, once again, limited to road improvements, despite the climate and nature emergencies and Welsh Government's declaration of climate emergency and challenging decarbonisation targets. As climate change is the next and probably biggest challenge for our current and future generations, the urgency of addressing this should be embedded across all policies and guidance to ensure no decisions to further exacerbate the situation are made. "

Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth welcome the review of all road schemes by Welsh Government’s Roads Review Panel (RRP). However this review will not be effective if work on schemes go ahead while the review is being undertaken.
We call for all construction work on the bypass from Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross to be halted immediately while the RRP completes its consideration of this scheme.

1)https://media.a40prc-publicinquiry.co.uk/uploads/2020/10/06193730/18.-Chapter-18.pdf
https://media.a40lvp-publicinquiry.co.uk/uploads/2020/02/02162634/3.18.01-CHAPTER-18-TECHNICAL-ASSESMENT-REPORT.pdf