A142
Total Length between Ely and Newmarket - Approximately 15 Miles

 Fordham By-Pass 
(Length approx 2.5 Miles right next to the existing Railway Line)

Turner's (Soham) Ltd. asked if they wanted railway sidings but declined
Fordham residents were unhappy with the route outlined and preferred the original plans

Initial estimated Cost £4 Million
Actual Cost £16 Million

Fordham By-pass was recently opened at the beginning of July 2005. Thankfully it has shifted the traffic out of Fordham Village but has also made the major bottle necks at Ely Railway Bridge and the A142/A14 Flyover interchange at Newmarket more congested as the route to them is now so much quicker.

 Ely Southern By-Pass avoiding the Railway Bridge 
(Length Approx 2.5 Miles right next to existing Railway Line)

Initial estimated Cost £15 Million
Actual Cost £25-35 Million???

Actual cost may be higher due to the fact the By-pass will have to cross Marshland, A Floodplain, The Great Ouse River, The Railway Line and Railway Electrification Power Lines. The Ely Southern By-pass proposal has been declared economically unviable three times by the Government. The third time the proposal was put forward it had not changed from the second one submitted and was the second cheapest of the initial five routes that were outlined in the first proposal at an estimated cost of £15 Million.

 Environmental Issues

Friends of the Earth campaign 'The Road to Nowhere' which started Spring 2002.

 Road Building

Road traffic levels in the UK are growing.
The response from successive Governments has been to build new roads.

 Did you know?

Traffic levels on Britain's roads have risen by over 80% in the last 20 years.
(Transport Statistics Great Britain 2000)

Friends of the Earth believes this approach isn't working. Building new roads often:

• Means more traffic
  Experts have shown many traffic improvement schemes result in more car journeys
• Wrecks the countryside
  Many of our best wildlife sites and most beautiful landscapes are under threat
• Is expensive
  By-passes typically cost tens of millions of pounds
  

And what's more - analysis shows that the impact on journey times of the Government's new roads will be tiny (about a second per mile). Motorway trips will actually take longer because of traffic growth.

 If not roads...then what?

Many towns and villages are suffering huge problems from traffic. In most cases, a new road or bypass is not the answer. This is because most traffic is local. We need —

• Better buses and Trains
  dedicated bus lanes, low-floor vehicles, more frequent and reliable services
• Cycle or walk in safety
  traffic calming, cycle networks, walking buses
• Green Commuter Plans
  local transport providers and employers working together to reduce car journeys

 Friends of the Earth says

• Less new roads, more public transport

More information from the Friends of the Earth Website:-

www.foe.co.uk
www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/
www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/resource/campaigners.html