Mr Perrin’s blog. “A Word in your Ear”.
Cross about the crossings.
CLOSE to 100 people attended an evening meeting at the Culver Centre in Ockendon on Thursday 11th September, 2014. The aim of the meeting, organised by Thurrock Council, was to inform the public of the latest developments regarding the possibility of an additional Thames crossing in Thurrock, the impact such a crossing would have on the Borough and to give the public the opportunity of expressing their own views.
It was pleasing to see our Conservative MP, Jackie Doyle-Price, and the Labour Leader of the Council, Cllr John Kent, putting political differences aside and being united in opposing any further Thames crossings in Thurrock, which is more than can be said for Ms Polly Billington, the Labour Party candidate for the 2015 General Election, who attempted to score political points by what can only be described as a “Party Political Broadcast” on behalf of the Labour Party.
Jackie Doyle-Price and Cllr John Kent highlighted the negative impact the existing Dartford crossing has on the Borough such as air quality, bottlenecks and how the West of the Borough grinds to a halt every time the QE bridge or the tunnel is closed and both of them were of the opinion that an additional crossing, rather than alleviating the problems, would exacerbate them. Both of them suggested solutions such as free flow tolling, number plate recognition and the possibility of another “outer ring road” akin to the M25. Jackie stated that she strongly opposed “spaghetti” junctions in Thurrock.
An excellent presentation was given by Mr David Bull, the senior council officer responsible for arguing Thurrock’s case, which was most informative regarding the current “state of play”.
Questions and contributions from the public showed how thoroughly most of them had done their “homework” thus enabling them to make positive and challenging contributions to the debate.
Cllr John Kent, in his closing speech, said Thurrock already has three Thames crossings and had borne more than its fair share and suggested that Canvey and East London should take their share of crossings.
The meeting concluded with the clear message “NO MORE THAMES CROSSINGS IN THURROCK”.
