This policy states: "Encourage development in locations which enable sustainable journeys to be made to key services and facilities;"
The site WY1 will put increased pressure on an already insufficient motorway for today's volume of traffic (junction 8 of the AI (M)). This junction is already grid-locked at peak hours, and the A1 (M) from junction 9 (Baldock) right into London and beyond into London, is exceptionally slow moving and almost stationary south bound. Site WY1 has no access to trains and the bus service is woeful, so the only option residents have is the car. How building more houses on top of this junction can be classed as "Encourage development in locations which enable sustainable journeys to be made to key services and facilities" is beyond the realms of common sense. Hertfordshire County Councillor Terry Douris already stated in the Mercury Newspaper October 18th 2016 that "Hertfordshire is the busiest county in the country and our roads are under incredible pressure - we have a network of more than 5,000km (3,000 miles) and very high traffic levels, with millions of car journeys and 2.5 times the national average of lorries using our roads." How can building an additional 14,000 homes, potentially another 28,000 cars using this junction, or the A1(M) in Hertfordshire possibly be a sensible thing to do? There is also a significant health risk posed in the increase in air pollution from additional slow-moving/standing traffic. The rest of the commentary in the 'plan' around transport is rather vague, stating that changes will be made, but not stating any specific plan with any details as to how sustainable traffic will be achieved. The plan passes the transport buck to Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and to the developers. This is not good enough. HCC have just launched a public consultation on the future of transport in our area, stating that they envisage travel times in the local area will increase by 25% in the next few years, and asking the public how to resolve this, so until there is a proper model for how to 'keep Hertfordshire moving', a local plan for increasing the density of population should not be made. Once a sensible expansion plan for the A1(M) is in existence and delivered, then it would make sense to review where houses might go, but a new garden city with it's own transport infrastructure might well be the best solution for the period of this plan. You cannot simply add houses and cars without having a proper plan for how all this additional traffic will move around at rush hour and cater for it, what is clear, is that our current road and rail infrastructure will not cope, and Hertfordshire will not be a great place to live at all, if commuting times are increased by 25% or more.