News Release

6th July 2004

NEW M6 TOLL ROAD AND DANGER OF HARD SHOULDERS

Michael Fabricant has welcomed in principle the widening of the M6 motorway between Birmingham and Manchester, but has expressed concerns over the environmental impact "which must be minimised. I do appreciate, however, that by following the route of the existing M6, there will be less environmental damage than that created when the existing M6 Toll cut a swathe through Staffordshire. I am extremely concerned, however, about his proposed use of the hard shoulder along motorways which might cause fatalities".

Michael Fabricant told Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport, in the Commons Chamber today (6th July) "Although the M6 Toll road is generally regarded as a success and it now links my constituency to the general motorway system, it is not used by trucks or other commercial vehicles who appear to be boycotting it." He asked what measures could be put in place to charge continental vehicles for use of our motorways while paying no British taxes and filling up with fuel in France and never filling up in the UK. Mr Darling replied that a road charging scheme which would apply to foreign vehicles is now under consideration.

As part of his statement on roads, the Secretary of State also said that the hard shoulder would also be used for traffic on some motorways to provide extra capacity. "I am worried about this", says Michael Fabricant. "If a car breaks down, won't it cause major congestion? If a tyre needs replacing, isn't there the danger of an accident? And when there is an accident with a tailback, how will emergency vehicles get to the scene if the hard shoulder is blocked? Delays could cause loss of life?