The Anonymous Widower

North-South Divide

They are discussing the North-South divide on BBC Breakfast this morning.

What about the East-West divide?

Here in East Anglia, we have an economy about the size of Scotland, but we rely on much less government subsidy, we export more and we have higher unemployment.

But what do we get in return for looking after our economy and contributing to the well-being of the whole of the UK?

Not a lot really!

We have some of the worst roads and transport systems in the UK.

• The A14 past Cambridge and Huntingdon is one of the most overcrowded roads in Europe.
• Norwich is isolated from the rest of the country, by the gap in dual-carriageway of  the A11 at Elveden and no proper route along the A47 to the Midlands.
• Yarmouth is in desperate need to be connected to Norwich by a decent road.
• Ipswich-Norwich links are virtually non-existent, unless you go by train
• There is the missing link of the A120 from Braintree to Marks Tey.
• Most of the trains in East Anglia are cast-offs from other networks and trains from east to west and on to the Midlands and the North are poor to say the least.
• Very few stations anyway have adequate parking places.

Many of these problems have been down to be solved for years, but they always get delayed.  But then there are few Labour MPs and votes in East Anglia.

But still we manage and expand.  Today, Glaxo Smith Kline has announced a large expansion of research in Stevenage and Cambridge is still growing.

We need the investment on infrastructure here in East Anglia, so that can create wealth for others in the UK.

October 14, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | Business, News, Transport/Travel | Cambridge, Essex, Norfolk, Roads, Suffolk