Last Saturday (13th), hundreds of people joined a walk and Rally against Roadbuilding in East Sussex. There were guided walks along the route of the Bexhill Hastings Link Road, which started construction in January. After learning about the wildlife that is being destroyed and seeing the grim reality of roadbuilding, the walks all converged on the village of Crowhurst.
SchNEWS talked to one participant: "It was awful walking around where they've started construction, with a lunar landscape where there used to be trees and lots of machinery there doing more damage, but then we arrived in Crowhurst and it was like a village fete with a vegan buffet, displays and even a coconut shy. It was inspiring to see so many people there working together to stop new roads wrecking the countryside."
There were speeches from a range of people working against road building in different ways, including CPRE, Combe Haven Defenders, Campaign for Better Transport, Hastings Alliance and Crowhurst residents. All compered by Sir Ian Bowler MP. Everyone is still detirmined to fight this road all the way and to link up with other groups fighting other roads, which are all part of the Tory roadbuilding programme, dragged back from the dead for these 'times of austerity'. Which brings us nicely to the news that the budget for the Bexhill road has just been increased by £13 million to a total of £113 million. This is roughly the amount being cut from the local social care budget...
New or widened roads are planned all over the country including the Peak District, Stonehenge area, the Norfolk Broads and the South Downs. There's probably one near you. Find out more on the Roads to Nowhere website.
The Earth First Gathering will be just next to the route of this road, near Bexhill on the 7th-11th August. Come to learn about resisting road building and other types of environmental destruction, meet people, go on bat walks, and have some fun.