Delays at a junction of the M1 on the Nottinghamshire border are costing the economy more than £4.5million a year, a transport body has said. Midlands Connect said its research showed there are more than 1,100 hours of delay in peak periods at junction 28.
MPs discussed the junction, which lies near Sutton-in-Ashfield, in Westminster Hall on Wednesday, January 11, and have called for government action. Ben Bradley MP, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said he hoped for an intervention into the "vital artery".
Midlands Connect, a government-funded body, said it calculated the economic impact of the delays by using a model that assesses the lost value of time for cars, vans, and HGVs, for business, commuting and leisure journeys to the wider economy.
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It is recommended improvements should be considered for funding as part of the Government’s third Road Investment Strategy.
Mr Bradley, who is also MP for Mansfield, said: ‘’The data speaks for itself in terms of the impact of delays at Junction 28, and obviously the M1 is a vital artery of our transport network across our whole region. Clearly, interventions at the scale required are way beyond existing local budgets so, if we’re going to ensure we’re doing everything possible to support our economy in the East Midlands, then there will need to be an intervention from the Treasury and Department for Transport to support us."
"Historically, of course, our area has received less investment in our transport infrastructure than other regions have over many years, so I hope that government will give proper consideration to this issue.’’ Midlands Connect said there are nearly £500,000 in losses due to HGV drivers being snarled up in traffic, with commuter losses totalled at £1,621,906.
The figures show commuters caught in traffic is costing the economy £419.72 an hour in rush hour every day. Car drivers undertaking business trips was the second biggest loss to the economy, racking up £1,225,349 a year due to the impact of gridlock affecting the economy.
Swati Mittal, strategic roads manager at Midlands Connect, said: “Junction 28 of the M1 is a critical pinch point on the network and Midlands Connect’s latest research shows what massive impact improvements could make.
“These astounding figures show that we could boost the economy by over £4 million a year by dealing with the issue." The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.
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