On 24th February I joined many interested Markyate residents in attending the Highways Agency exhibition at the Holiday Inn. At long last, the M1 widening scheme between junctions 6A and 10 is now going ahead. This long-awaited project was first agreed in the mid-1990s, but was delayed when the Government put a hold on all road-building schemes. To a cynic the timing might suggest a connection with Luton Airport’s bid to become London’s second airport..?
As always, there will inevitably be some chaos and disruption during the construction, but we can put up with a certain amount of that when we recognize the long-term gains. What has angered me in this instance is that we will go through all this disruption to build extra lanes only to find that the new lanes are to be restricted. They are to be car-sharing lanes – or what the Government calls “High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes”. To be quite frank, this is bonkers. What is the point of widening one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country only to restrict use of the new lanes? I am all for finding ways of protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions, etc. But there doesn’t seem to be anywhere in the country where car-sharing lanes have proven to be successful. Most drivers on the M1 do not have the option of sharing their car with someone – quite simply there is no one going on the same journey. As for reducing emissions – I would have thought reducing the time cars are stuck in traffic was as good a way of reducing emissions as any. What is the benefit of having three lanes of solid traffic all pumping fumes into the atmosphere right next to a shiny new and empty fourth lane? A better way to reduce carbon emissions in the area would be by not locating London’s second airport in our midst. In addition to the widening of the M1, the M10 is to be declassified to become the A414(T) – that is a local road rather than part of the national road infrastructure. Whilst it will make driving between Hemel and St Albans easier – you will not have to join the M1 – my concern is that Hertfordshire taxpayers will have to foot the bill to maintain a road that was originally built as part of the national road network. I call on the Highways Authority to ensure that funding for maintenance is given to the County Council and it doesn’t just become another burden on the Council’s already stretched road maintenance budget.
Markyate Surgery I will be holding a drop-in surgery on Saturday 25th March at Markyate Baptist Hall, 10am – 1pm. If you have anything you would like to discuss, please call in. | 
