Long running road protest and counter-cultural campaign site Camp Bling, based in the middle of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, is set to be decommissioned by the summer, after the long awaited announcement that the controversial Priory Crescent road widening has now officially been cancelled.
Although the Glasgow M74 extension was rejected in a public enquiry, ministers have given the final go-ahead after awarding the contract to the sole bidder - in breach of European Commission rules according to the Scottish Green Party.
From Tara Pixie:
Calling all tribal warriors! The sacred site of Tara (Ireland), the burial ground of our ancestors and the portal to the spirit world, is being desecrated and destroyed by the building of a motorway.
I haven't been to Titnore Woods myself but a few people I know have been spending time there as part of a campaign to protect the area from a road widening scheme to serve a new housing development. If you are in the Worthing area you might like to visit the Titnore Treetop Camp and perhaps even take them something from their Wish List.
No Widening M1 is a campaign which does what it says on the tin. Hopefully they will have a stall at the Bicycology event in Sheffield on Monday 21st August.
Two environmental groups have dropped their court case against the decision to extend the M74 in Glasgow.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the campaign against the M11 extension contributed to a 100% increase in costs.
If you are planning a trip to Southend be sure to check out Camp Bling where protesters are attempting to save a Saxon burial site from being concreted over in an £11m scheme to build 870 metres of new road.
I have just started this page for information about opposition to road building in the UK. Years ago I remember visiting Claremont Road in London at the time the occupants were preparing for the final onslaught by bailiffs charged with clearing the way for the M11 link road. Here is an excellent account of that campaign published in SchNEWS.
Since then I have not had a great deal to do with anti-road campaigning but over the last few years have become increasingly involved with Critical Mass and various groups trying to raise awareness of the dangers of anthropogenic climate change. What is clear is that we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel, and building new roads is clearly not going to help!
Anyway, I have recently returned from Scotland where I took part in various actions around the G8 Summit. To demonstrate the excellence of the bicycle as a fun, practical and healthy alternative to the car I rode from London to Scotland with the G8 Bike Ride and on our first day of riding we stopped to lend our support to local people opposed to the construction of the Linslade bypass.
On the final day of the G8 Summit I cycled from the rural convergence space in Stirling to the urban convergence space in Glasgow (with some steep hills initially but an easy ride along a canal towpath for the last 10 or 15 miles). In Glasgow there has been strong opposition to the proposed M74 extension and again we were there to show our support.
Here are some resources for fellow anti-road campaigners:
www.zenatode.org.uk Ian Gregory 2010