Skip Navigation | Sheffield IMC | UK IMC | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

UK Indymedia UK Indymedia Sheffield Indymedia Sheffield Indymedia

Anti M1 campaign gains momentum

Fabian | 19.05.2006 09:31 | Ecology | Health | Sheffield

Around 50 people attended a public meeting yesterday in Sheffield to oppose the widening of the M1 motorway and to demand a radical change in government transport policy to sustainable solutions.

speakers at the meeting
speakers at the meeting



Invited by the No Widening M1 Campaign
 http://www.nowideningm1.org.uk
senior anti-road and climate protection campaigners Becca Lush (Road Block) and Tony Bosworth (FOE) introduced key arguments against the building and expanding of roads in face of climate change and energy over-consumption.
Bosworth, looking at the larger picture of transport policy, pointed out, that the government subsidised air travel and motorways with billion of pounds. He said: „Cheap flight do not seem to be that cheap anymore, when you consider that the government is handing 9 Billion Pound over to the aviation-industry annually in subsidies, that is 300 Pound per citizen per year.“
As expensive as the support for air travel is the building of roads while it doesn’t seem to solve traffic problems. While it takes 28 Million Pound to build a mile of motorway, research had shown that new roads are only filling up with new traffic that was generated by them. „You can’t build your way out of congestion“ - the motto of the no-widening campaign - is in fact accepted science.
As Lush explained the governments own Highway Agency was well aware of the futility of building more roads, yet the policy outcome of the Labour government was a 9% real decrease of the costs of motoring, while Busses became 15% and trains 5% more expensive.
„This is sending the wrong signal when we are threatened by climate change.“
While transport is responsible for 27% of all UK CO2 emissions, motorised transport, cars and lorry cause 95% of the whole transport emissions.
Both speakers demanded a change in government policy towards a more sustainable and environmentally sound transport policy. „Spending 3 Billion Pounds not on widening the M1 but on more attractive and cheaper public transport would make a huge difference“, said MP Julie White who works with the No Widening M1 campaign in Sheffield.
Green Party councillor Jillian Creasy, who chaired the meeting, demanded a socially and environmentally sustainable transport policy from the government.
While considering the lobbying important, several people in the audience explained that in face of the urgency to protect the climate, direct action against more roads had to be considered.

Ways to join and support the protest:
The next meeting of the No widening M1 campaign in Sheffield: 4th June, The Rutland Arms (paternoster row), 7.30 pm
 http://www.nowideningm1.org.uk
Roadblock conferences in Birmingham, 10th June, 11h to 17h, see  http://www.roadblock.org.uk

Fabian

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

correction

19.05.2006 11:20

Julie White is not (yet) an MP but a GP. Sorry.

Fabian


?

19.05.2006 13:58

does GP stand for "green politician" then?

in response to the previous post, am sure that any worthwhile campaign has to start somewhere so that there's proper activist support and the momentum's built before meetings are held in the motorway communities.

this is a worthwhile cause and even if Myra Hindley, and her dead pal Ian, were involved then I'd still say: good luck.

outsider


Previous Post?

20.05.2006 17:29

Looks like a post has been removed.

"While considering the lobbying important, several people in the audience explained that in face of the urgency to protect the climate, direct action against more roads had to be considered."

So, any chance of seeing some motorway bridges getting blown up like

the Angry Brigade might've done in the 70s


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Sheffield Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Sheffield [navigation.actions2016]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2015]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Sheffield Actions 2013

G8 2013

Sheffield Actions 2012

Workfare

Sheffield Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Sheffield Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Sheffield Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Sheffield Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Sheffield Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Sheffield Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Sheffield Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Sheffield Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Sheffield Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech