Aggregate Industries thinks it’s fine to put up to 200 of its 44-tonne HGVs on this road each day, saying:
the proposed B3180 is considered to be suitable as the recommended route for the transport of material from Straitgate Farm to Blackhill Quarry 4.2.1
the increased flows along [the B3180] are insignificant to cause a noticeable impact to road users 4.3
Based on the findings of this assessment it can be concluded that the proposed development will have no material adverse impact on the operation or safety of the local road network. 8.0
Local people, on the other hand, will regard such statements as simply dishonest.
But it’s not just that the B3180 goes through an AONB and SPA/SAC; it’s not just the unsustainable 8.2 miles; it’s not just that it’s too narrow in places for two trucks to pass, or that verges are being broken down and stones scattered into the road. The B3180 is also used by vulnerable road users. Yet, as Charlie Hopkins makes clear, AI’s Environmental Statement "provides no analysis of adverse impacts of high volumes of HGVs on other users of the road network, which is not limited to motorised traffic, but includes pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders".
But then again, what is SLR’s analysis of adverse impacts worth anyway? AI’s consultants say that "there are no sharp bends along this route" 4.2.1, which, as road signs clearly indicate, is yet another fallacy.
