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Minister pledges to look again at A1M issues

MP Grant Shapps recently invited two local councillors to Parliament to join him in a private meeting with Transport Minister Tom Harris MP to discuss issues relating to our section of the A1(M) Motorway.

During the meeting, the Minister gave orders for the Highways Agency to carry out a new "rough and ready" study to see if the stretch of motorway north of Welwyn could be considered for inclusion in so called Active Traffic Management (or ATM). ATM, currently in operation on the M42 motorway, is a scheme that makes use of automatic systems and human intervention to manage traffic flow and reduce congestion by switching on and off lanes including the hard shoulder. The Welwyn Hatfield stretch of the A1(M) was previously not prioritised, but this was before the announced closure of vital services at the QEII Hospital and prior to the government's announcement of 10,000 new houses in the area; both of which would lead to increased pressure on the motorway.

On the issue of Shapps' long-running campaign for a quieter A1(M), the Minister also agreed to revisit what campaigners believe was a flawed noise survey previously undertaken by his department in order to see if further noise mitigation steps, such as fencing, would be appropriate.

Grant Shapps said, "Since the announced closure of the QEII, everyone has been concerned about the difficulties in travelling to the Lister hospital in Stevenage particularly during the rush hours. I explained to the Minister how concerned I was about the QEII closure, combined with tens of thousands of new homes both in Welwyn Hatfield and Stevenage, all putting additional pressure on the motorway. He agreed that the situation had changed and ordered an immediate review of whether the stretch of motorway could be included in an Active Traffic Management programme, which includes the ability to switch use of the hard shoulder on and off."

Grant continued: "After years of battling over A1(M) noise I also welcome the prospect of a new investigation into whether further steps could be taken to lessen the impact of motorway noise through Welwyn Hatfield."

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Helen Bromley said "The meeting was positive and several ideas were discussed and taken on board by the Minister, who did seem to appreciate the problems facing the residents of Welwyn Hatfield."

Councillor Malcolm Cowan added, "It was great to find that the Minister was sympathetic to the noise problems of the motorway and is prepared to consider measures to reduce the noise, beyond the long-delayed resurfacing"

ENDS. More info: Grant Shapps on 020 7219 8497 and http://www.Quieter-A1M.com