Roads versus railways

By LBV

18 Nov 2009

Have your sayMore opinion

Infrastructure and future transport in Britain seems to be receiving a lot of much needed attention in the media at the moment.

It is brilliant news to hear that current proposals for the London to the West Midlands to Scotland high speed rail route will probably take it through the North West. It’s also great to hear the government talking about spending money to improve the rail infrastructure across the rest of the country.

But how many times have you sat in traffic at a motorway junction or roundabout anxiously checking your watch and cursing the vehicles in front for holding you up?

We all know that feeling, and certainly manufacturing-mighty Pendle is a classic case. The M65, brought to a sudden halt at Colne, presumably by budget constraints, now gives way to inadequate roads that have caused massive frustration to all of us over recent years. The jams begin first thing in the morning and continue until well after finishing time in the evening.

It’s a familiar story around the country, and something that the average motorist has come to accept on his way to the shops or taking children to school. But we should remember that manufacturers and businesses in the North West rely on road transport to get vital components to their customers on time.

How many deadlines have been missed because of the blocked flow of vehicles on now unsuitable roads? British Chambers of Commerce now estimate the annual cost to business of congestion as a staggering £23.2billion.

The authorities need to acknowledge that manufacturing and commercial business in the North West is our lifeblood, which has too often been ignored.

We’re told a nationwide multi-million pound high-speed train line could soon (within 20 years’ time) be in place but when was the last time you saw your local roads being improved to make them easier to use during crucial business hours?

It’s way time more thought was put in to help improve infrastructure for industries that are central to Lancashire’s heritage... and more importantly it’s future. Planning for major projects has to be speeded up. Successful economies are increasingly nimble economies.

Without improvements, one day Joe Average struggling to get to the shops might not find anything there to buy, and he anyway may have lost his job to a faster moving country.

Businesses now need to work together, and support the Chamber in campaigning with the local authorities and the 4NW Regional Leaders’ Board with central government on these issues.
 

John Getty, president, Chamber of Commerce East Lancashire.

 Have your sayMore opinion

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

2

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

3

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 2025

4

Celebrating 20 years of connecting the county LBV 20 Celebration Guests

Celebrating 20 years of connecting the county

27 Oct 2025

5

BAKO named 'Supplier of the Year' at awards BAKO Supplier of the Year

BAKO named 'Supplier of the Year' at awards

27 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event
Holiday Inn Hotel
Networking
28 Oct 2025 - 18 Nov 2025

November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event

Holiday Inn, Blackpool

16:46 - 16:45

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

Lancaster District Business Support Expo
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
29 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025

Lancaster District Business Support Expo

The Platform, Morecambe, LA4 4DB

10:00 - 15:00

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin