'Technology could help address Expressway issues'

Technology could help address issues around the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, according to transport planning consultancy and Thames Tap partner, mode.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps last week promised a review of the proposed road, a key element of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, if the Conservatives win the general election.

But Laura Fitzgerald, associate director of mode transport planning, said: “Without the corridor improvements, there is limited connectivity along the Arc to deliver the scale of development generating new jobs and industry and new housing that the vision seeks to implement.

“All of the input to date with the Joint Declaration and Highways England background assessment has put in place the foundations for a longer-term strategy that extends across the whole Arc and is not limited to authority areas.

“Whilst the details of the Expressway route and form have not yet been subject to public consultation, there is no reason why future technologies and sustainable objectives would not form part of the future design to improve the overall connectivity of the corridor in terms of journey times and zero carbon emissions.”

UK Property Forums consultant, Hugh Blaza, an Oxfordshire resident and former managing partner at law firm BrookStreet des Roches is a fan of the Arc but says the uncertainty over the Expressway is a potential hurdle to progress.

He said: “The (Bidwells) Radical Regeneration Manifesto fails to mention it at all. Development cannot proceed until the decision has been taken to cancel it and the masterplan adjusted accordingly. This is the most urgent obstacle to the Arc’s progress.”