A long-discussed expansion of London's Heathrow Airport is one step closer to becoming a reality, as the U.K. government released a National Policy Statement (NPS) today that outlines the plans for a third runway. While the private stakeholders behind the project and legislators believe the expansion of what is already the second busiest airport for international traffic in the world will mean more jobs and economic development, there are others who are concerned about its impact on the environment and the community. The publication of the NPS begins a 16-week process of "public consultation," before a version is submitted to parliament for approval. As it stands, the proposed third runway would enable an additional 260,000 take-offs and landings above the current cap of 480,000, according to BBC News. It would open up not only new international routes, but also could add up to six new regional hubs to Heathrow's domestic network. There's a political angle to the proponents of expansion too, as Transport Secretary Chris Grayling told the BBC: "By backing the north-west runway at Heathrow airport and publishing our proposals, we are sending a clear signal that when we leave the EU, we are open for business," he said. But with more air traffic comes higher emissions and car congestion at the airport, something those who drafted the NPS have attempted to build into the proposal. The runway will not be built unless certain conditions that limit emissions and road congestion are met, the Telegraph reports. The NPS dictates that Heathrow would need to ensure that 55 percent of people traveling to the airport would have to do so by public transportation or (believe it) by bicycle. The HS2 and Crossrail (two rail systems currently in development) along with improvements to the Piccadilly Line, the London Underground line that currently serves the airport, could help achieve that target, according to the Heathrow expansion director, Emma Gilthorpe, who spoke to the Telegraph. In addition, Gilthorpe says the development team hopes to create a means of connecting London's existing bike path networks to the airport, to make biking to your flight easier. It's a feat she calls "possible but challenging." (We're going to go out on a limb and say that even in a dedicated lane, biking to the airport still has its fair share of challenges.) Whatever the method, Heathrow has some work to do: Currently, only 41 percent of passengers going to Heathrow are not traveling by car. The developers are also considering a "congestion charge" for car users as further incentive to leave it at home (a similar fee already exists to discourage driving into Central London). While the proposal also includes policies around limiting noise levels and renumeration schemes to residents affected by the expansion, critics say it does not do enough to counter the increased carbon emissions—a level, they say, that is already above accepted norms. "The statement does nothing to explain how, in an area which is currently blighted by illegal levels of air pollution, such a project can realistically meet compliance with legal air quality levels," said James Thornton, CEO of the environmental law firm ClientEarth, in a published statement. Over the past year, the plans for a third runway have sparked protests by environmentalists who see it as an unnecessary creator of more carbon emissions, and local residents who have concerns about what it will do to their communities. Last November, for example, 15 people were arrested for blocking the highway that serves Heathrow Airport. Still, the reality of a third runway at Heathrow is a long way off—potentially giving enough time for developers and environmentalists to reach an agreement. If the plan is approved after the NPS is delivered to Parliament towards the end of 2017, it will still have to go through a number of planning and revision phases before a final application is submitted to the government's Planning Inspectorate in the summer of 2019. Then, it still needs to built—a project that is estimated to cost £17.6 billion ($22 billion),and set to be operational by 2026. That gives you a full nine years to get those quads in shape before taking that bike ride to the airport.
