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Business chiefs want action to end gridlock on region's roads
YORKSHIRE business owners are to lobby MPs at Westminster today over the region's gridlocked roads.
Representatives of small firms will meet West Yorkshire MPs to discuss the severity of traffic congestion.
The meeting comes after a survey of 5,600 members of the Federation of Small Businesses in West Yorkshire, confirmed that small enterprises are losing business because of traffic congestion causing delays, cancelled meetings and late deliveries. The FSB members, from Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax and Wakefield, will lobby for more investment in public transport and for better access to Leeds Bradford airport.
Almost a third of those surveyed said it was quicker to drive to Manchester Airport for a flight than to Leeds Bradford airport because of traffic congestion. Many expressed shock that there is no rail or motorway link to the airport. Ninety five per cent of businesses surveyed said traffic congestion was a problem.
Chris Glen, FSB Yorkshire and Humber policy chairman, said: "The Yorkshire region, including West Yorkshire, has the lowest level of investment per capita on transport infrastructure in England – 197 per head a year, compared with an English average of 288."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair was not expected to back down over road charging in his response to a 1.7 million signature petition, Downing Street said last night.
The petition, on the 10 Downing Street website, closed at midnight last night, and Mr Blair said he would respond by email to everyone who has signed it.
But his official spokesman yesterday made clear that he would say he intended to press ahead with 10 pilot schemes to test the anti-congestion technology. Emails were expected to start going out to the organisers of the petition – including Peter Roberts from Telford, who started it – shortly after midnight and Mr Blair's response was due to be posted on the No 10 website at about 6am today, said the spokesman.
But, for technical reasons, No 10 is having to send out the responses in batches and it may take several days for all the signatories to receive their message.
The petition calls on the Government to "scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy".
But Mr Blair will say in his message that the trials due to take part in 10 parts of the UK will not involve technology to allow the tracking of vehicles' movements.
And he will insist that something must be done to prevent gridlock on the roads.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
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