Councillor Cliona Hibbert (Councillors’ Corner, August 29) bemoans the failure to deliver an A303 tunnel to speed her journey to the South West but has not considered how the Conservative Government continually overrode those who advised them that the tunnel project was flawed. 

Nor does she appear to give any thought to the environmental consequences of her travel choices, or to social equity aspects which should underpin transport planning. 

The Government should have listened to the five planning inspectors who spent six months looking in detail at the Stonehenge tunnel scheme before unanimously recommending that it should not be given consent.  

A National Audit Office report made it clear that the scheme was poor value for money.  

The Climate Change Committee, a statutory body set up to advise the Government on emissions targets, recommended that a transport policy be adopted which reduced vehicle traffic. 

But the Tory Government ignored all expert advice and pressed on regardless. 

Consequently they have wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, and time which could have been spent on developing a truly sustainable transport policy. 

If Cllr Hibbert’s journey had been made by train this would have generated less than a third of the carbon dioxide produced by the same car journey.  

Not only is public transport more environmentally sustainable it also gives travel opportunities to those households and individuals who don’t have access to a car, and to those who may be unable to drive. 

Hopefully the Labour Government will be developing a transport policy which prioritises active travel and public transport, and which genuinely offers an alternative to the car-based options which have been the focus of Conservative policy for far too many years. 

Margaret Willmot

Salisbury SP2 9NN

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