Roads for Prosperity
Encyclopedia
Roads for Prosperity was a controversial white paper published by the Conservative
UK Government in 1989 detailing the 'largest road building program for the UK since the Romans
' produced in response to rapid increases in car ownership and use over the previous decade. It embraced what Margaret Thatcher
had described as 'the great car economy' although implementation led to widespread road protests and many of the schemes contained within it were abandoned in 1996.
being built to meet the predicted demand. According to The Times
the road network expanded by 24000 miles (38,624 km) between 1985 and 1995 and then by only 1.6% between 1996 and 2006; no definition of 'the road network' is provided.
Schemes included the following:
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
UK Government in 1989 detailing the 'largest road building program for the UK since the Romans
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
' produced in response to rapid increases in car ownership and use over the previous decade. It embraced what Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
had described as 'the great car economy' although implementation led to widespread road protests and many of the schemes contained within it were abandoned in 1996.
Overview
The proposals included 500 road schemes at an estimated cost of £23 billion based on predicted traffic growth of 142 percent cent by 2025. It would have involved the doubling of the trunk road capacity with around 150 bypassesBypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
being built to meet the predicted demand. According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
the road network expanded by 24000 miles (38,624 km) between 1985 and 1995 and then by only 1.6% between 1996 and 2006; no definition of 'the road network' is provided.
Schemes included the following:
- Widen the M25 motorwayM25 motorwayThe M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
to dual 4 lanes (some sections have subsequently been widened) - Widen the M1 motorwayM1 motorwayThe M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
between the M25 and the M18 to dual 4 lanes (partially implemented much later) - Build the new Newbury BypassNewbury bypassThe Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
(built in the face of major protests) - Extend the M3 extension past Winchester across Twyford DownTwyford DownTwyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
(built in the face of major protests) - Widen the A140 roadA140 roadThe A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
to Dual 2 lane between the A14 and ScoleScoleScole is a village on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in England. It is 19 miles south of Norwich and lay on the old Roman road to Venta Icenorum, which was the main road until it was bypassed with a dual carriageway...
in NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. (never built - speed limits subsequently introduced) - Widen single carriageway sections of the A12 road between the IpswichIpswichIpswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
to dual 2 lane (abandoned)