Climate change: Switch road cash to broadband, adviser says
The UK government's climate change adviser is urging ministers to reconsider plans for road-building and switch the investment into broadband.
The government plans £28bn worth of new roads to relieve congestion.
But the head of the Climate Change Committee, says it could be cheaper, better for the economy, and climate-friendly to expand fibre optics.
That's because the government's plans for road-building assume 1% growth a year in demand for travel.
But Chris Stark says Covid-19 has taught many people they can work from home thanks to the miracle of video conferencing.
The head of the AA recently told BBC News he thought people would never fully return to their previous travel habits, and forecast that transport demand would shrink, not grow.
Mr Stark agrees. He believes productivity and the economy would benefit if the roads fund was re-directed from tarmac to fibre optics.
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