I'm unsure just how many signatures the pro new crossing lobby considered they would obtain when their petition went public several weeks ago. But the total number of signatories (2252 ie 1.89% of the approx.118,700 residents of Halton) announced today must surely be considered a tad disappointing for supporters of a second crossing.
Our poll (a total of 13 votes) giving respondents the chance to vote for a new crossing, on the other hand, showed that 77% wanted better and cheaper public transport and congestion reduced now on the existing Silver Jubilee bridge rather than an expensive new bridge.
Now, as mentioned briefly in the last blog the biased slant of the statements in our poll might have tended to push people into either voting for better public transport and getting to grips with the congestion on the existing crossing or ignoring the exercise completely and not voting at all. If I were a betting man I'd go for the latter explanation without even thinking about it.
But I'm not going to pull the wool over my own eyes and for one moment believe that people have been accessing our poll in their droves. We have apathy and both the Weekly New's petition and our meagre poll surely indicates this.
Take notice of these words Phil Hammond, George Osbourne and Danny Alexander in London and the various business and political interest groups here on Merseyside the majority of people in this area are not interested in a new crossing, it doesn't figure or come come into their lives one shred. The people of Halton have other more pressing concerns. So why, oh why spend all that money especially at this time?!
Its proponents no doubt I can see will be pointing their differently motivated fingers to, in their words '...the economic and social benefits to the region'. But I would suggest that this has never been a convincing argument especially in view of the longer term ramifications of climate change for instance and its possible effects of making us look more radically at the economic paths we might be taking in the future.
Given the strong showing on local public apathy about this topic and the incredible costs involved of the project I would suggest we drop the idea of a new crossing and get to grips with planning a more realistic approach to our social and economic well being locally and globally. And I would hope that this would factor in more equitable solutions at both these levels.
