The (very) dead hand of government

One of the few places I think state intervention is required is in the matter of road-building and maintenance. It's not practical, in my opinion, to have privately funded toll-roads linking everything together. On the other hand, I do think it's entirely possible to have private toll roads that offer faster-flowing main routes with less traffic. But in general, the state needs to provide people a decent, well-maintained road network.

But now, I'm not so sure:

The proposed bypass will address the issues within the villages by removing a significant volume of traffic from the existing route.

Following earlier investigations to provide a bypass, the scheme was restored to the road programme in 1989 and following a public consultation process a preferred route was selected in October 1993. After subsequent reviews by the government work was suspended in 1996. In July 1998 the new government published the results of its own review in “A New Deal for Trunk Roads” and included the bypass as a scheme to be progressed through the preparatory stages.

The Highways Agency’s submission to the Regional Planning bodies (North West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside) in November 2002 concluded that there were no realistic alternatives to a bypass of the villages to solve the problems that existed. In April 2003 the bypass entered the Targetted Programme of Improvements (TPI) - this is now known as the Programme of Major Schemes.

As a bypass proposal in isolation could also have the effect of increasing the attractiveness of the whole route, proposals are also being put in place to discourage road users switching to the A57/A628/A616 corridor from other cross - Pennine routes. This is to provide an equitable balance between the problems in the villages and the impacts of traffic on the Peak District National Park.

Right ... so let me get this straight: they've been fucking about with this since long before 1989, and they still haven't done ANYTHING? The only thing they have done is agree that "there were no realistic alternatives to a bypass of the villages to solve the problems that existed". Got that?

To find out about what happens next for this scheme, please see the What Happens Next page.

Well, fuck me, let's see what happens next then?

The public and other interested organisations were allowed a period of 13 weeks until 5th May 2006 to express their support, comment on, or object to the proposals. A large number of people have written in with their views and each person or organisation expressing a written view will receive a full response to the points that they have raised.

The Government has, for the first time, given regions a say in decision-making about transport schemes that affect them at regional and local levels. The Mottram to Tintwistle Bypass is one of those schemes that is considered at a regional level. The North West Regional Assembly presented advice to Ministers in January 2006 and provided a revised sequencing of priority schemes in June 2006. On 6th July 2006 The Secretary of State for Transport responded to this advice and confirmed that funding provision should be made for the A628 Mottram –Hollingworth-Tintwistle bypass beyond 2010/11.

Er, what? They decided in 2006 that they'd provide funding some time after 2010? After the next election, then? Hmmm. But wait, what's this?

[A] Public Inquiry commenced at 10 am on 26 June at Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity Street, Stalybridge, Cheshire, SK15 2BN.

After the discovery of a number of inconsistencies within the traffic forecasts prepared by the Highways Agency’s consultants the Public Inquiry was adjourned. The further discovery of more inconsistencies led to a number of further adjournments. Following the discovery of the anomalies a comprehensive set of checks has been carried out on the network representing the scheme. Further details of what these checks revealed can be found by referring to HA document reference HA/73. This document is available by following the link for the External Public Inquiry website found under the publications page of this scheme. Once into the Public Inquiry website the document can be found by following the link available in the news update for 4 December 2007. These findings mean that an adjustment is required to the traffic model.

Whilst carrying out the corrections to the traffic model it has been decided to incorporate an updated version of TEMPRO,version 5.3 which was issued in October 2006 and to incorporate revised National Traffic Model growth information which was issued in October 2007. Work is progressing on the production of revised traffic forecasts which will incorporate these two changes.

As a result of the above issues all documents submitted as part of the September 2007 revision no longer have any relevance and should be disregarded. The Highways Agency intend to revise the original Proofs of Evidence, Environmental Statement and other documents. It is expected that the information will not be available until after Easter 2008. This is because the traffic forecasts upon which much of the evidence is based will not be finalised until early 2008.

Oh well, I'm sure it will all be sorted out in time, because they're planning to open the bypasses in 2015.

Or perhaps not:

Following the Inquiry the Inspector will produce a report making a recommendation based on the evidence presented by the Highways Agency, the objectors, the supporters and anybody who has made a representation during the Inquiry.

The decision whether to proceed with the scheme will be taken after the Secretary of State for Transport has considered the Inspector’s Report.

To say I'm astonished is an understatement. These people have been waiting for a bypass probably since before I was born, they've been told they're getting it, then not, then they are, and now it seems, they're not. Even though it was agreed that "there were no realistic alternatives to a bypass of the villages to solve the problems that existed".

What the fuck do these people do all day long? Why is it so difficult to make a decision about this? What the fuck is going on? It sounds to me very much like "we don't have money for this, even though we need to do it, so let's keep postponing it."

But if you have £2.7 billion for election bribes, why can't these poor people have their bypass? I'm too scared to look at the rest of the website, because I've got no beta blockers to hand.