Maidstone Greens have reacted angrily at the decision by the Secretary of State for Transport for the A249 Stockbury Roundabout “improvements” to proceed. Stuart Jeffery, who spoke for the Greens at the Public Inquiry last year has strongly criticised the decision as a climate failure.
Stuart Jeffery, Maidstone Green Party: “In a few month’s time the UK will be hosting the latest round of international climate talks. You would think that such an important meeting would help the government focus on what it needs to do to help stop the planet burning. Clearly not as this ‘climate failure’ of a decision shows.
“The so-called improvements costing £80m will ensure the addition of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year as a result of the increase in vehicles. Add to that the worsening air pollution in Maidstone, Sittingbourne and along the A249 and this is a demonstrably disastrous decision.
“The government clearly fails to understand the link between its decisions and the need to secure a future for our children and grand-children. The Paris Agreement is legally binding and yet this decision will help ensure that we fail in our obligations.
“The £80m could have been spent on slowing the A249 down to make it safer, building a bridge across it to link the communities of Stockbury and be invested in alternatives to car use. The opportunity cost of the decision is huge, but sadly we are under the rule of petrol heads who continue to destroy our collective future.”
