Malcolm Moss MP slams unsuccessful works to stretch of A1 carriageway

New Government figures reveal that the queues on the northbound carriageway of the A1 south of the Blackcat roundabout in Bedfordshire has increased by almost 30 per cent, despite extensive improvement works carried out three years ago.

The figures obtained in an answer to a Parliamentary question tabled by Malcolm Moss, Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, shows that the number of hours drivers have been stuck in queues on this stretch of the A1 has increased by 19.6 per cent, while the economic cost of these delays has increased by 28.7 per cent.

Improvements to the Blackcat roundabout were made as part of the A421 Great Barford Bypass Scheme. The work to enlarge the roundabout began in June 2005 and lasted approximately 14 months. Not taking into account the delays created by the improvement work itself, delays in the 29 months after the works were completed in late July 2006 were considerably higher than in the 29 months before the works began in the early June 2005.

The total vehicle hour delay has, between August 2006 and December 2008, increased by over 42,000 hours compared with between January 2003 and May 2005. The total economic cost to these delays increased by £652,570 in the same period.

Malcolm Moss MP said: “Even if we disregard the vast number of hours people were stuck in queues enduring the so-called ‘improvement’ works to this stretch of the A1, people are actually much worse off now. It is intolerable that 14 months of works at significant cost to the taxpayer has only resulted in more delays. Yet again, this shows that the Government has not got a clue as to how and where to best spend public money. It is no good pouring money into projects that not only do not improve services, but that actually make them worse.”