Dear Editor, Colin Leighfield’s analysis that we need to provide roads to support ‘normal family life’ is interesting.

It assumes the relationship between transport and behaviour is a one way street. What actually happens over time is that the provision of a piece of infrastructure changes where people live so that sooner or later (mainly sooner these days) the infrastructure becomes itself congested and there is a call for more.

That is why a properly objective view of transport policy in 2009 needs to start from asking the question: how far are we going to let traffic grow? This needs to take into account economic development, but also the impact on the environment and the cost of providing increasingly expensive infrastructure.

The other problem is that one off roads do not create networks. They often move around congestion. One of the impacts of the M6 Toll, for example, will have been to increase congestion on feeder roads. So people accessing the West Midlands on roads that cross the toll road may face worse congestion than before it was built, one of the problems that would actually be worse if the toll road were free. It is perhaps ironic that the areas of greatest congestion, our towns and cities, are equally the places where road building is likely to be most constrained.

Having spent the best part of ten years on the M6 Toll debate, along with many transport professionals and politicians from across the region, on all sides, I am left with the feeling that if the energy, expertise and money that went into the toll road had been directed towards providing transport projects that genuinely supported Urban and Rural Regeneration we might be in a better position now.

Gerald Kells, Follyhouse Lane, Walsall

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We need improvements in infrastructure

Dear Editor, While it is reassuring to note that schemes in the pipeline are likely to improve the region’s economy, it seems that they are all dependent on just upgrading yesterday’s technology with the existing infrastructure.

Other ideas have surfaced but seem to have vanished into thin air. The need to connect high-speed rail links across the country allowing access to Europe cannot be dodged if we as a region can be truly competitive. We also need an alternative to flying from an environmental point of view.

More importantly local residents need good dependable local transport alternatives to the car. It’s surprising to see that widening motorways is still seen as a solution when it has never been shown to work elsewhere. Still no sign of rapid transport, including an extension of the Metro.

The existing line is apparently popular and successful, although compromised by being built away from centres of activity. Many put their faith in the bus and indeed new technology is being brought on stream there. In practice it’s not making the difference it should. The real time information, which I thought was dependable and accurate, is often either not working or confusing.

Anyway when it shows me three no 11 buses are 4 minutes away after a wait in the freezing cold for 20 minutes I’m not overly impressed. Bus lanes which should have been introduced were scrapped and improvements to junctions on the route seem to have stalled.

So I wonder how much of the said savings will be lost in congested traffic, both private and public.

John Tyrrell, Handsworth

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Campaign must also focus on helping our ailing car parts suppliers

Dear Editor, I am writing to express Accelerate’s support for the Jaguar Land Rover campaign you are currently running in the Birmingham Post and other sister titles.

As many of your readers will know, we manage the automotive supply chain initiative for the West Midlands and for the past twelve years have been providing strategic and financial support to ‘car parts makers’ looking to increase efficiency, improve processes and win new business.

It is in this role that I would urge your campaign to not forget the supply base, the same suppliers who employ thousands of people locally and play such an important role in supporting the engineering excellence and innovation behind Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.

We are all for supporting JLR and ensuring this well-run and iconic business is here for years to come, but we need to understand that our component manufacturers also need some form of Government support to ensure they can still trade their way out of the current economic crisis.

As David Smith wrote in today’s Post, these firms are not looking for hand-outs. They are excellent manufacturing businesses that suddenly, through no fault of their own, have had their order books decimated due to pressures seen throughout the world. Before September, many were even predicting record years.

So whilst Jaguar Land Rover will dominate many of the headlines, let’s make sure we also get behind our supply base and lobby the Government to support the ‘car parts makers’, who are so crucial to the West Midlands economy.

Yours sincerely

Rachel Eade

Programme Manager for Accelerate