HS2 close off A418 in Aylesbury - locals say traffic will be "carnage"
Environmentalist believes there is no perceived benefit for Aylesbury
Last updated 25th Jan 2023
HS2 have closed off the road near Hartwell House on the A418 east of Aylesbury today to do “some localised vegetation clearance and tree felling”.
The A418 will be closed from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm with a full closure for approximately 4 Sundays. The road will be closed off between the Bugle Horn pub and the roundabout for Coldharbour Way.
An environmentalist in Bucks is concerned about the damage HS2 work will have on the local community.
We spoke to Jane Farley a member of Speen Environmental Action Group is opposed to the work HS2 are doing, she says "in my opinion I see it as a vanity project which was set up by Boris Johnson possibly. It’s a budget that has spiralled out of control. They say currently just over 100 billion pounds and that makes the 2 billion pounds funding for levelling up just look peace-mill and mean"
Traffic will be "carnage"
Jane Farley from Speen Environmental Action Group tells us she has spoken to local who are concerned about the traffic, she tells us "they think it’s going to be carnage, those roads are busy at the best of times and there’s so few arteries into Aylesbury. They suggested that there should be more investment into cycle routes and improving public transport generally."
Will HS2 benefit the local community?
Jane Farley says "as far as Aylesbury is concerned anyone who lives here has to go either to Birmingham or London to get on HS2 so there are no perceived benefits for the people of this area…and then you’ll eventually have trains roaring through the countryside".
"They need to keep talking to local people and local areas and local councils and make sure more information goes out about what they’re doing. There are such concerns about the ancient woodlands that will be lost forever, and the problem with the planting trees is that they very often die."