The other week, my team, along with a huge gathering of stakeholders, attended a House of Commons reception to press home the message to the Government on the importance of giving the green light on 4 October to the new Lower Thames Crossing.
Those of you living in the South East who have had the misfortune of travelling along the M25 will be acutely aware of the need to increase capacity to cross the Thames. But for those who have managed to dodge that particular bullet, let me give you some stats.
- The existing Dartford crossing, opened in 1963 and extended in 1991, was designed for 135,000 vehicle movements a day and is currently running at 180,000
- There are 3,000 incidents a year, giving rise to 19 out of 20 journeys being delayed and costing an estimated £200 million in lost time
- Of the 50 million vehicle movements a year, 40% are goods vehicles travelling from and to key ports in the South East
These depressing numbers are made worse when you consider the rate of increase for the figures is exponential, meaning the problem will only get worse and more quickly than before. And, of course, this isn’t just a Southerner’s problem.
Despite improvements in global logistics, the vast majority of imported and exported goods still travel by road, with Dover being one of the busiest ports, moving £144 billion of trade goods a year. Add to this the passenger traffic from the Channel Tunnel and ferries of 23.1 million per year, and you can see that’s a lot of people and stuff trying to get somewhere else in the UK.
The new crossing is not welcomed by everyone, particularly those who will bear the brunt of the disruption locally as the project unfolds. However, the boost to the local economy will far outweigh any disbenefits. The local schools, colleges and universities will benefit from careers, innovation, work experience and new skills development. Local businesses will have contract opportunities that will help them pay better wages, sponsor local football clubs, support charities and improve the quality of life for many. People’s journeys will be dramatically improved, and goods will flow across the UK, attracting more investment and creating the much-needed growth the government are relying on.
With all of this in mind, it is glaringly obvious that this is one piece of national infrastructure that is not a “nice to have” but a “need to have” if we are to stand any chance of getting our economy moving again. So, when 4 October comes, I for one, shall be keeping everything crossed.
