No roads today please.

I did a couple wee sketches for the Arches, for next months List magazine. Apparently the Arches are doing a take over of the publication, as part of their 15th anniversery celebrations. The brief was to draw something political, so I created a few ideas about the new M74 motorway, six lanes of traffic two storeys high, which the council plan to drive through the southside of the city. Not a good idea, especailly when its costing £1billion for just 5miles of road, think what the public transport system would be like if it had that much spent on it!!

These clever folks www.jam74.org are trying to put a stop to it. Drop by and give them your support.


EDIT: I did actually do a new drawing for Illustration Friday this week (click here to see it) but I remebered at the last minute about this previous post which was for a very good cause.

Sadly since originally placing the above post, all attempts to stop the road in its track have failed and it now looks like the new road will be built despite the public inquiry, the environmental study and the business report all concluding it is a bad idea. Last month, in preperation of the work going ahead the community gardens that lie on the route were bull dozed. Looks like unless there is a massive change of heart in the government or a massive public display the new road will be going ahead. Which will not as its promoters suggest decrease the problems of congestion, it will merely initially make it easier for people to drive around the city, which will encourage more road users and will ultimately result in the same congestion problems but this time with 10 times more cars. We should be spending our money on improving public transport and giving people a genuinilly better optino than to jump in their cars. I've got a car and only use it when i've got no alternative - for every other joureny I walk or get the train/ bus and at the moment, the public transport option is smelly and unreliable. Lets spend on sorting that out and the rest will follow. rant over.