Is it the end

of the road for 

Boston  dream?

 To mix a metaphor or two … pigs might fly, but will crash-land in the jam tomorrow.

That’s the synopsis of the county council’s third local transport plan, which was on the agenda of its Highways, Transport and Technology Scrutiny committee earlier this week.

The plan looks forward from now until 2014, and includes the next step towards easing traffic congestion in Boston.

The second local transport plan included the £10 million transport strategy for Boston – including the £5.2 million A16/A52 widening scheme – which should be completed next month - and which it’s claimed could cut journey times across town by 20%.

The works included £2 million of enhancements to public transport - with the IntoTown bus service seeing a 300% increase in “ridership” - typically carrying 25,000 passengers a month.
And although you might not have noticed, a £200,000 car parking and signing strategy to make it easier for people to move around the town has apparently taken place.
That’s the story so far – so what’s in store for the next two years?
The report says that the £2 million Market Place enhancement scheme will focus on improving the streetscape, refurbishment of the footways and making the area more
pedestrian friendly by removing a large percentage of car parking.
Worryingly, it adds that other elements of the transport strategy will be taken forward “as funding permits.”
Meanwhile, Boston Borough Council is identifying areas of land to be allocated for future development which will help facilitate the possibility of a distributor road to the west of Boston.
Reading between the lines, the future looks less than bright.

Whilst we suppose we should be grateful for what’s been done to date – it won’t be long before the general increase in car ownership counters any improvements in journey times.
There is little doubt in our minds that the road improvements that are soon to be completed will mark the end of the chapter as far as Lincolnshire County Council is concerned.
There has never been any question of Boston getting a by-pass.
The IntoTown buses may be carrying a shed-load of passengers, but a glimpse through their windows as they grind along  Strait Bargate, destroying the paved surface and polluting the shopping centre with noise and fumes, shows a gaggle of grey heads.
Most of them are travelling for free, and again, we are sure that the majority would never previously have come into town by car, so there can be no claims that the service has reduced vehicle numbers.
Finally, and realistically, we cannot see the aim of grabbing land for a distributor road ever succeeding.
A road has to follow a line, and the likelihood of land becoming conveniently available to match any route dreamed up for a baby bypass is beyond the realms of possibility.
In any case, it would be so far in the future that the oil will probably have run out, and cars will no longer be a problem.

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