Huhne campaigns on traffic jams

11.56.11am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 3rd May 2005

Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne and his supporters (pictured) canvassed drivers from Bishopstoke and Fair Oak stuck in Eastleigh traffic jams this morning to highlight the need for a new link road to bypass Eastleigh town centre.

Mr Huhne said that the Liberal Democrats would make the Chickenhall Lane link road a real priority, not just talk about it.

"The Conservative controlled county council voted to make this road its top priority at its first meeting after the 2001 election, and it has failed to work up a proper scheme or even to bid for Government funding" said Chris.

"This is a breath-taking record of failure that local motorists pay for every day in lengthening traffic queues. It also threatens our ability to attract new jobs into the area to take the place of Alstom and Manor Bakeries.

"More than two-thirds of people in Eastleigh constituency travel to and from work by car, and their working lives are being made unnecessarily arduous by the negligence of the county council, which is responsible for roads" said Chris.

"We all agree about the need for the Chickenhall Lane link road - which would cut through from Bishopstoke Road to Southampton Road via the bottom of the airport runway - but there is simply a complete failure to deliver on the part of the Conservative county council" said Chris. "The Conservatives just do not get things done".

"This is symptomatic of Conservative attitudes. The Conservatives seem to treat Eastleigh as bottom of their concerns time and again. Not only have we suffered from lack of capital spending as shown by the link failure, but the road maintenance spending in Eastleigh is also a scandal" said Chris.

"Hampshire County council spends just 3 per cent of its road maintenance budget on Eastleigh's roads, even though we have 7 per cent of the county's population. It is time for a fair slice of the cake" said Chris.

"I have been pressing the county council, as the highways authority, to resurface Twyford Road for two years now, and they are only giving the go-ahead now for half the road from the centre to the Allbrook Hill roundabout. It is typical of Conservative half-measures and lack of follow-through. We need action on roads, not warm words" said Chris.