Letter: Junction 10 Project – It Will Just Make It Quicker to Join the M25 Car Park

Published on: 2 Jun, 2022
Updated on: 3 Jun, 2022

From: Bibhas Neogi

In response to a comment from Peter Mills on: Delays to M25 Junction 10 Scheme Cause Costs to Jump 25%

Peter Mills says about the recently approved Junction 10 proposal, “£250 million so I don’t queue on the A3 and get to the queue on the M25 quicker. Money well spent.”

Although I have tried to point out that the preferred scheme is not the safest nor it is the least expensive that could be achieved, I must agree this is a scheme that really does not benefit the motorists.

Yesterday it struck me how true Mr Peter Mills’ ironic statement was.

I attended a funeral a few days ago near Beaconsfield around 1pm, just off the A40. It took me an hour and a half to get there! It took 75 minutes to get from Godalming to the J15 of the M25 – a distance of 23 miles. The journey on the A3 from Godalming to the M25 J10 was quite normal but traffic congestion on the M25 thereafter was really unbelievable – the average speed was about 10 mph.

Billions are being spent on the HS2, so that some 20 minutes would be saved from the train journey time but what would be the true gain? Is the Junction 10 work a vanity project by the government to create employment? If the same money were spent on improving the road network instead, reduced congestion on the entire national road network would have benefited the vast majority.

If both the HS2 and the J10 work were not to proceed any further, such funds spent instead on improving the national road network would have benefited the vast majority. I think the HS2 work should be put on hold until the country can afford them after coping with current crises here and abroad.

Responses to Letter: Junction 10 Project – It Will Just Make It Quicker to Join the M25 Car Park

Harry Eve Reply

June 3, 2022 at 11:46 am

The gateway lights controlling access to the A3 improve traffic flow at Stag Hill. The gateway lights controlling access to the M25, clockwise at Chertsey, improves the flow of traffic merging there too. Both are good, innovative, relatively low-cost solutions.

But £250 million (probably £400 million by now) to take away the traffic lights at Junction 10 and increase air pollution in Ripley while also increasing car use to stoke up climate change makes no sense. This is a waste of our money. There are far better ways of making the existing roadspace safer – better driving standards for one.
David Roberts Reply

June 3, 2022 at 4:33 pm

Wouldn’t a 50mph speed limit across the junction solve everything?