Heated debate on M11 link road

Protestors against the M11 Link Road in east London marked the first anniversary of their campaign yesterday with a display of fire-breathing outside the Department of Transport in Marsham Street, where they delivered a letter for the Transport Secretary, Dr Brian Mawhinney, calling for an independent review of the scheme, writes Matthew Brace.

In the letter the No M11 Link Road Campaign maintains that the planned new road contravenes the Government's own policies on controlling greenhouse emissions by increasing road traffic, destroying housing, and reducing the amount of public transport.

However, a Government spokesman said yesterday: 'This road will relieve a hugely congested part of London. The Leyton High Road is choc-a-bloc every day and this will take that traffic away from it and make the area breathable.'

The letter calls for the Government 'to re-evaluate the current scheme and to consider alternative solutions to the area's transport problems without increasing the volume of motorised traffic'.

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