East of England transport connections (lack thereof)

[eXSBass]

I believe the East of England is suffering from poor transport connections. There isn't an arterial motorway (A12 and A14 just don't cut it). Furthermore rail services to and from the region are ridiculous.

The region is of strategic importance to the UK's economy which has recognised maritime and heavy industries, and is geographically close to London and the rest of the South East.

What's being planned to rectify this obvious issue?

[poshbakerloo]

I've always thought it was strange for Macclesfield has high (ish) speed rail to Manchester and London, and local services which are of good quality electric trains and also the cross county services...but Lincoln gets a load of class 142s haha

[Malcolm of Kent]

Originally Posted by eXSBass

I believe the East of England is suffering from poor transport connections. There isn't an arterial motorway (A12 and A14 just don't cut it). Furthermore rail services to and from the region are ridiculous.

The region is of strategic importance to the UK's economy which has recognised maritime and heavy industries, and is geographically close to London and the rest of the South East.

What's being planned to rectify this obvious issue?

There are (at least) two areas in the East of England, which seem to me to have different problems.

East Anglia (where the A12 and A14 run) is part of the South-East, and is competing with elsewhere in the South-East for investment. Rail and road connections to the nearer-to-London parts of the region (Ipswich, Cambridge, Colchester) are not too bad. Norwich and Norfolk don't fare quite so well, granted.

Linconshire is a whole different kettle of Grimsby fish. Transport links, both road and rail, consist mainly of various east-west links running into the A1 or KX-NCL main line.

Granted travel between, say, Skegness and Cromer, is pretty dire. But how much demand is there?

[streetquark]

The A11 from Chesterton (M11) to Norwich is pretty much like motorway. Lincolnshire could do with an east coast motorway. Land is relatively cheap and flat so shouldn't cost too much. Time to get some of those long-term unemployed into a New Deal/Works program.

[tg1980]

Originally Posted by streetquark

The A11 from Chesterton (M11) to Norwich is pretty much like motorway. Lincolnshire could do with an east coast motorway. Land is relatively cheap and flat so shouldn't cost too much. Time to get some of those long-term unemployed into a New Deal/Works program.

Do you mean upgrading the A1 to A1(M) for more of its route?

Interesting how transport policy seems to be focused on adding a fourth lane to each direction on existing M-ways rather than upgrading nearby dual carriageways. I'm thinking M1/A1(M) in the south Midlands and also M4/M5 around Bristol being upgraded as an alternative to the A30/A303 further south.

[Malcolm of Kent]

Originally Posted by streetquark

The A11 from Chesterton (M11) to Norwich is pretty much like motorway. Lincolnshire could do with an east coast motorway. Land is relatively cheap and flat so shouldn't cost too much. Time to get some of those long-term unemployed into a New Deal/Works program.

You what? At Barton Mills the A11 becomes single-carriageway. That is, the sort of road which vehicles over 7.5 tons should not exceed 40 mph. While that is happening on one side, a head-on collision is occuring on the other side between overtaking prat and innocent oncomer. Someone's going to start claiming motorways have cycle tracks again - I can feel it coming on - screens nurse please...

[CD.]

The remaining single carriageway A11 (Barton Mills to Thetford) will be dualled within the next few years, it's already been approved.

[streetquark]

Originally Posted by Malcolm of Kent

You what? At Barton Mills the A11 becomes single-carriageway. That is, the sort of road which vehicles over 7.5 tons should not exceed 40 mph. While that is happening on one side, a head-on collision is occuring on the other side between overtaking prat and innocent oncomer. Someone's going to start claiming motorways have cycle tracks again - I can feel it coming on - screens nurse please...

The section between Barton and Thetford is not that long and clearly wasn't what I meant by motorway-like. Sorry for the lack of clarity in my post but it doesn't give you license to jump to conclusions and exhibit pedantry and troll-manners.

[Malcolm of Kent]

Originally Posted by streetquark

The section between Barton and Thetford is not that long and clearly wasn't what I meant by motorway-like. Sorry for the lack of clarity in my post but it doesn't give you license to jump to conclusions and exhibit pedantry and troll-manners.

Sorry. My post was an over-reaction, and the miscellaneous rantings which I unwisely added did appear to be aimed at you (which I did not intend).

I do feel very irritated by little bits of single carriageway in an otherwise dual route (the A306 is another classic example), and by motorist behavious sometimes seen there, but of course such irritation is not intended for you (or indeed for anyone here).

At a tangent, I would like a change in the law so that in certain places where specially indicated by signs, HGVs could legally travel at 50 even though single carriageway. That would make the road safer, I reckon, as there would be less need for overtaking, and it would mean that the 40 limit could be fully enforced elsewhere.

[streetquark]

Originally Posted by Malcolm of Kent

Sorry....

I do feel very irritated by little bits of single carriageway in an otherwise dual route (the A306 is another classic example), and by motorist behavious sometimes seen there, but of course such irritation is not intended for you (or indeed for anyone here).

No problem. Another example is the A303.

Driving on any single carriageway trunk road can also be draw-dropping. I regularly use the A5 between Litchfield and Redbourn. Not too heavily used and yet plenty of accidents. Drivers can sometimes spend up to a minute overtaking a stream of traffic. Never mind their safety, what about mine!

[Engels]

Given the recent key projects that have either been completed (A46 upgrade to Dual Carriageway south of Lincoln) or announced (A11 Thetford gap upgrade to Dual carriagway) i would argue that the East of England region has been getting its fair share of the limited transport funding there is.

Government transport policy takes into account the finding of the Eddington review of spending which identified that the best use of public funds would to concentrate investment in upgrades to the transport network tacking congestion and capacity within the 'core areas' of the network supporting our key metropolitan areas. Put simply £100m spent upgrading e.g. the M6 around Birmingham or M62 near Manchester / Leeds has a higher priority and delivers more value for money in terms of supporting business and the wider economy than extending the rural trunk road network.

Obviously this is not a matter of black and white ONLY invest in the core - but it should take priority for the majority of major scheme funding. On this basis the relative importance of the East of England is lower (certainly i don't mean to imply it is not at all important)

My examples are Highways schemes but the principal applies to Rail and other public transport funding

[Malcolm of Kent]

A bit of spending for the roads in the East of England which is well overdue, I reckon, is the A14 from Cambridge to Huntingdon. A new road was planned but, I understand, pushed back into the long grass by the recession.

Could there be any mileage in redesigning it as a cars only road? Could it be built more cheaply (I'm thinking half the cost?) if designed for a 3.5 tonne weight limit and 2m width limit? All larger vehicles, and turning traffic, would use the existing road.

I don't know of this approach being used anywhere in the world for a trunk road. The Rotherhithe tunnel has such a weight limit - and arguably it serves some purpose by taking some cars out of the Blackwall tunnel. But that is rather different.

Or is this just a silly idea?