[ Home ] [ Listings Page ] [ Teachers Notes ]

Who needs the BNRR?

Freedom to Move

"The private motorist wants the chance to live a life that gives him a new dimension of freedom - freedom to go where he wants, when he wants, and for as long as he wants."
Nicholas Ridley, U.K. Secretary of State for Transport, 1983.

Think about this statement

  • Do you agree with it?
  • What might be the consequences?
  • Which groups might agree?
  • Which might disagree?

The Big Enquiry Question:
How necessary or not is the Birmingham Northern Relief Road?

Purpose of the enquiry

The purpose of this enquiry is to:

  • understand the change in the numbers of cars and roads
  • understand the debate about road transport policy.
  • examine the viewpoints of a variety of stakeholder groups
  • examine your own values and attitudes to cars and roads
  • above all see how people use and misuse data to argue a case

 

Your Task: You are a journalist from a National Newspaper and you have been asked by the editor to do a feature over a double page spread with colour images on the BNRR.
You will need to explain the project but more importantly represent the views of as many stakeholder groups as possible.

Little questions with weblinks

Find out more detail about what is proposed.   Skim read the government document. it and extract key points. http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1998/19980121.htm

Friends of the Earth have also some basic information too including a rough map:
http://ds.dial.pipex.com/beep/bnrr/index.htm

The company is now online and lays out its view
http://www.m6-tollroad.co.uk/index.lasso 

 

What is wider view of transport and the environment?

Who is involved? There are a variety of opinions for and against. These two sum it up the two sides?
Driving Flag - a personal perspective: http://www.car.driver.co.uk

Transport is an environmental issue FoE has a campaign
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/ 

Who are the groups with a stake in the BNRR? These are in no particular order. You will find opinions galore here.

Canal enthusiasts: http://www.wrgna.mcmail.com/bnrr.htm

Association of British Drivers: 
http://www.abd.org.uk

County Council:
Staffordshire County Council  have made available the structure plan www.staffordshire.gov.uk 
http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/structureplan/keydiagram.pdf 

Environmentalists: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3081/bnrr.html

Who else might you gain a view from?

Use a searcher to try and locate some more opinions. Try www.google.com or  www.lycos.co.uk as you can search for sites only held in the UK.