3: Changing UK economy

• Infrastructure


  the basic equipment and structures that are needed for a country/region to function properly
• Port


  harbour for ships
• Traffic congestion


  too great an amount of traffic for roads to cope with traffic slows to a crawl
• smart motorway


  section of motorway that monitors traffic live and makes changes to signs speed limits and lanes as the traffic changes
• freight traffic


  traffic carrying goods
• dual carriageway


  two lanes of traffic in both directions
• single carriageway


  one lane of traffic in both directions
• How has improvements to transport helped the UK economy

  -new jobs have been created

  -more tourists are able to enter the country and visit different areas in the UK

  -more areas are connected increasing national and international trading opportunities
• Examples of products where transportation has improved

  -Liverpool2

  -Heathrow Airport

  -South West 'super highway'

  -HS2

  -London's Crossrail
• Describe the UK's port industry


  Is the largest in Europe due to the length of the coastline and the UK's long trading history

  Major Ports in the UK are found in : Liverpool, Belfast, Portsmouth and Tilbury
• Describe the recent port developments at Liverpool2

  - a new container terminal at the port of Liverpool

  -the scheme is to construct a deep water quay on the River Mersey
• What benefits will Liverpool2 bring to the region

  -double the ports capacity to over 1.5million containers a year

  -create thousands of jobs

  -boost the economy of the north-west

  -reduce freight traffic on the roads
• Why are airports important to the UK economy

  -airports create vital global links and provide thousands of jobs

  -more than 750,000 international flights depart from the UK annually to almost 400 airports i 114 countries

  -Over 2millio tonnes of freight pass through the UK's airports each year
• What are the advantages of expanding Heathrow Airport

  -thousands of jobs will be created in construction (short term) and business and tourism (long term)

  -lack of expansion threatens London's position as a global financial and trading capital of the world

  -more capacity is needed- air travel is expected to double by 2050
• Disadvantages of expanding Heathrow Airport

  - will destroy 700 homes

  -a huge amount of green belt will be lost

  -Heathrow now breaches the EU regulations on levels of Nitrous oxide, extra flights would worsen this

  -breach noise pollution limits
• What are the road improvement plans implemented by the government in 2014

  In 2014 the government invested £15billion to increase the capacity and improve the condition of UK roads

  -100new roads by 2020

  -1300 new lane miles added to motorways

  -extra lanes that are smart motorways
• What benefits will these improvements bring to the UK economy

  -create thousands of construction jobs

  -boost local and regional economies

  -shorter journey times
• Benefits of smart motorways

  -smoother traffic flow

  -more reliable journey times

  -fewer road traffic collisions

  -reduced noise and harmful vehicle emissions
• Describe the South West 'super highway'

  a £2billion road widening project that will convert the route to dual carriageway with additional improvements to connecting routes all the way to Plymouth and beyond
• Advantages of upgrading the A303 (south west super highway)

  -create hundreds of construction jobs

  -shorten journey time

  -less fossil fuels burnt
• Disadvantages of upgrading the A303 (south west super highway)

  -damage the environment and national historical monuments

  -very expensive
• Why is investment in railways vital

  is vital to improve links between regions of the UK and the rest of Europe
• What are the benefits of London's Crossrail

  Completed in 2018 and cost £14.8billion

  -improve journey times across London

  -easing congestion

  -offering better connections to the underground and to the rest of UK and Europe

  -55,000 jobs estimated to be supported by Crossrail

  -More people can make it to the capital city in less time, therefore increasing efficiency and economic opportunities and development
• Describe the High Speed Rail Project

  -a new high speed rail network, from London to Birmingham and to Manchester and Leeds

  -1,100 seats per train (400m long trains)

  -operate at speeds of up to 250mph
• What are the benefits for the High Speed Rail

  -will improve the transport network and boost the economy

  -Decrease the number of lorries on busy routes

  -will free up capacity on overcrowding commuters routes

  -will support some 20,000 new jobs

  -fast connections to the capital
• What are the disadvantages of the High Speed Rail project

  -some residents will lose their homes

  -a net loss in biodiversity

  -historic buildings are a t risk of damage or demolition

  -thousands of homes disrupted