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How will relief road affect town?
Thursday 23rd July 2009, 8:00PM BST.
Campaigners against Shrewsbury’s controversial £100 million North West Relief Road today claimed the development would be an environmental disaster.
Environmental leaders say the lives of people in the town will be made a misery with huge areas of countryside lost and the potential for more traffic.
But business leaders argued the building of the road was crucial and would provide an economic boost to the entire county, slash congestion and improve access in and around Shrewsbury.
The scheme, which has just received an £85 million cash pledge from the Government, has been on the cards for years but has been heavily criticised.
Gerald Kells, regional policy officer for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said the decision was a disaster for Shropshire.
He said: “We continue to strongly oppose it as it will damage the countryside and we don’t think options have been explored for alternatives to deal with the congestion problems in a more benign way.
“It would cut through the high ground and be visible from the town centre and it impacts adversely on the countryside and the heritage of Shrewsbury which are its major assets.
“I think this will lead to the destruction of the countryside and it would impact on the setting of Shrewsbury town and the areas of tranquillity around it. It will be an environmental disaster.”
Val Oldaker, of Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth, today vowed the group would do all it could to prevent the construction of the road.
She said: “I think it’s a bad day and I think this road is totally unnecessary. The amount of people driving into the town centre is falling anyway and the longer you hold this up as some sort of magic fix, the longer it takes for people to come to their senses.
“If you were in the Government and looking around the country at all the schemes this one would be nowhere near the top.”
But Richard Sheehan, managing director of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, said the decision was fantastic news.
He said: “It’s a real boost for inward investment into the county and by improving the infrastructure and transport links it will make us a more attractive proposition not only in Shrewsbury but also for the whole of the county.
“We must not lose sight of the fact of the benefit to tourism and leisure. The town will be more accessible and as the profile of the area continues to rise the tourism and leisure element will rise with it.
“It’s exceptional news and we must make sure that it begins as soon as possible.”
Peter Bettis, vice chairman of Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said: “The reaction quite simply is that we are delighted the Government is supporting the North West Relief Road and we would like to see it moving forward.
“It will improve access to Shrewsbury, relieve congestion and forecasted smog in the future and it is a positive step in revitalising the town.”
Ron Iremonger, chairman of the Mount Residents’ Association – an area which was originally earmarked as a possible route for the controversial road to be constructed – has previously called for the plans to be “killed off”.
Mr Iremonger said: “Shrewsbury is a wonderful place to live but they are going to ruin the very reason why people want to live here if they are going to increase the population and the amount of traffic.
“We should be using cars less, not more, and this NWRR is likely to increase the volume of traffic.
“I have no doubt there are those who think it’s a marvellous thing but I am not quite sure of its necessity as we already have an adequate ring road system.”
Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow said: “This road has been a long-term aspiration of the council to reduce congestion in the town and fuel the growth of Shrewsbury and I am absolutely delighted with this announcement.
“However, whilst this announcement does move us a step closer to delivering this road, there are still a significant number of statutory processes for us to go through.”
Transport Minister Sadiq Khan said: “I look forward to working closely with the West Midlands in further developing these proposals and together I am confident that we will be able to deliver efficient, reliable and sustainable transport fit for the 21st century.”
By Russell Roberts
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simple
it will ruin it
because we will become a modern city like telford and spread all over the green belt
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i agree with mrs oldaker
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I cant imagine the relief travellers will get from this road. Those people that HATE the current roadway and depise going Shrewsbury will now be glad to go around it unheaded, and never bad mouth the town again. Do you think they care about the countryside? NO….
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yep they’ll all bypass shrewsbury bob – and wont that be good for the traders!?!?
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85 million pounds could be spent on something far more useful. The ring road system is more than adequate for a town the size of Shrewsbury.Besides,if they all drive around the town who’s going to see that massive really useful maggot that has been built by the river?
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and just how much damage to the countryside was done to the south and west of the county when the main bypass was built.
the northern bypass must be built bypassing as many villages as possible. it is progress so build it
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before it is built consideration must be given to dualling carriageways of the a49 throughout the county. i forsee the northern bypass being opened as a toll road in 2085, for electric trams, milk floats and horse drawn traffic.
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I agree with the CPRE
-terrible idea. Why do people want to turn Shrewsbury into a new Birmingham ??
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To quote Val Oldaker:
She said: “I think it’s a bad day and I think this road is totally unnecessary. The amount of people driving into the town centre is falling anyway”.
Is this woman going around with her eyes closed? I live in a ground floor apartment in the town centre and the traffic is actually increasing NOT decreasing. It is horredous at times! Shrewsbury needs a ban on heavy vehicles coming in to the town during certain times. The police need to have a curb on boy racers, loud music (it is actually illegal to play loud music at traffic lights and offenders can have their vehicles taken off them – even older people who know better think I should be subjected to their music) and their exhausts. I am actually beginning to wish the congestion charge idea was put in place now and I was fully against it.
Like it or not the town centre is becoming more and more a residential area with new developments in the Castle Foregate area etc and measures need to be put in place to take traffic away from the town centre for EVERYONE’s benefit.
Any chance that the planners can also see more sense and convert the A53 into a dual carriageway???
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Actually Michael – to quote the Director of Highways for Shropshire Council
“Traffic levels in Shrewsbury Air Quality Management Areas have decreased, by 12% ”
“The 2008/09 traffic figures were in line
with previous years, all showing reduction and downward trend compared to 2005/06 baseline. ”
Here are the facts and figures on the number of vehicles entering the town centre of Shrewsbury – taken directly from the local transport plan.
- 2004/5 = 30,610 vehicles
- 2005/6 = 28,528 vehicles
- 2006/7 = 27,441 vehicles
- 2007/8 = 20,959 vehicles
- 2008/9 = 26,874 vehicles
So as Mrs Oldaker says traffic levels in Shrewsbury town centre are going down. With the recession and increased fuel prices and environmental awareness i would bet my house on the fact that this trend will continue even without a by pass. All this information is freely available on line from the Council website, search for ‘local transport plan’.
Have a look Michael!
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Hear Hear Michael (Quote 9). There is far too much traffic in town at the moment. It can sometimes take 20 minutes (or more) to get from Coton Hill to Frankwell. It is a joke. Bring on the new road, and the sooner THE BETTER.
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the only way is UP growth growth growth, ther e will be 25,000 new houses in Shrewsbury in the next 20 years, so more affordable and social housing which can only be a good thing for the young mums of the future to get their own place off the council and it means we can have some more supermarkets and maybe some factories making like plastic widgets and stuff so loads of wkd jobs and stuff, maybe a new LIDL even if we’re lucky, i love development its the way forward for shrewsbury, who needs this medieval stuff lets be more like telford, its great there
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michael you are wrong
traffic is really down in the UK and in Shrewsbury
not just a recent trend due tothe recession either its been going down since 2004/5 and the Councils own website says its reduced by 12% since then
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i urge people to walk the route on foot and admire the beauty of shelton rough and the SSSI of Alkund Pool which i beleive is even a Ramsar Site is it not, the most protected of all wetlands in the world! Trust me its beautiful and full of nature here, dont let them tar mac it please god, its not right
Oh and micheal (9) you are wrong mrs oldaker is right, the councils own monitoring shows year or year reductions in traffic journeys into the town centre and cycling is increasing all the time!
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q – how will the town change??
a – for the worse, more roads = more traffic and more modern housing estates and ugly architecture
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It is not often I congratulate the government, but on this occasion we have something to celebrate.
The new road will relieve much of the through traffic which is currently forced into Shrewsbury along with its associated emissions and congestion.
When the new road is complete, traffic in the town will fall dramatically and with it congestion. This can only be good for the environment and the people of the town.
The road is to be built through pretty much open fields with little or no residential properties so what is the problem?
If our ancestors had the same attitude to roads as the ‘anti road’ vocal minority do today, Shrewsbury would not even be on the map.
Imagine no M54; No A5. What then?
Roads are the lifeblood of the economy and building the NWRR will significantly reduce through traffic in Shrewsbury making the town a far more pleasant place to live.
People should celebrate this good news.
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michael val oldaker is correct
traffic levels are falling in shrewsbury already
you are wrong, do your home work mate
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Villages north of Shrewsbury such as Ruyton-XI-Towns, Baschurch and Myddle are currently plagued by HGVs rat-running from the A5 north to the A5 south and A49 purely because the current Shrewsbury bypass is too long and castrated by roundabouts and traffic lights. Getting to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital from north of Shrewsbury is a nightmare. This relief road is a must!
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A lot of commenters have obviously never really tried to get from Harlescott to Shelton or the RSH in the rush hour then have they?
10 miles around the existing ‘ring-road’ or ages spent queuing through Coton Hill/Castlefields – both of which produce FAR more pollution than a short efficient trip via the new road would.
It is exactly these sort of attitudes that have held Shrewsbury back in so many areas for so long.
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Same old names differing cause celebre, I wonder what they’d find to moan about in Utopia?
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Sorry everyone but I don’t need to do my homework. I only have to look out of my window to know that the traffic is NOT descreasing in Shrewsbury and if it is it is not enough!
If anyone wishes to spend the day in my home they are more than welcome and this is a genuine invitation.
A quote of interesting figures…. firstly I live in an air quality mangement area haha joke that is. How are these figures worked out then? We paying for people to stand there and count vehicles? Of course we are not! They are more than likely based on the level of pollution that will of course decrease slowly as older vehicles are taken off the road and replaced with newer ones. Sorry but without people being employed to count traffic 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 week of the year, I don’t buy those as fact and if others do we are doomed!
It is interesting to see all the “for” comments for people who truly know what it is like to live in the town centre. Keep them coming folks. We need this road and so does Shrewsbury.
Hear Hear Ken Eddy! Yep I get the same long delay every evening. 20 minutes! The traffic control system in Shrewsbury is inadequate to say the least and hasn’t changed in years! But have you noticed the improvement already since the kids have been off school?
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- 2004/5 = 30,610 vehicles
- 2005/6 = 28,528 vehicles
- 2006/7 = 27,441 vehicles
- 2007/8 = 20,959 vehicles
- 2008/9 = 26,874 vehicles
So in 2008 we had 6000 MORE vehicles than in 2007?
Overall in a 4 year period we only have 4,000 less vehicles. An average of 1,000 less each year.
I don’t need to argue my cause anymore really…
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If it’s anything like what they have done to Emstry Island it will be a disaster.It will have a massive impact environmentally.Isn’t it rather strange that the Government were able to find £85m,wasn’t this money only available if Shrewsbury looked seriously into a congestion charge option for the town centre?Hopefully it will be rejected on environmental grounds.
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I would to comment on post 1: by 7 of 9. For one shrewsbury does not have a green belt for us to build all over. And secondly if we want shrewsbury to have jobs and a future we have to expand shrewsbury. If we dont we end up dormitory town for Telford. Which will mean more cars and more traffic going to Telofrd everyday.
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How can it be called a ring road when a huge arc of it is missing.One trip through the town ,unless the early hours,from South t North that a relief rd is sorely needed otherwise nearly 15 miles of poison is passed into the enviroment from each vehicle going right round.Nothing so sure that the over zealous greenies will prolong the road starting and the idle swampies [why aren,t they working]will be basking in their glory to the detriment or the majority
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How come these sites of natural beauty when new road routes are being planned.Let these “wonderful doctors” of the seven wonders of the world publish an enviromental in the papers for all to share in their delights or are they conjured up with a NIMBY attitude
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This is about right.
Shrewsbury is a county town but ask anyone, say, from the South East or anywhere from outside the West Midlands/Mid Wales area for that matter and they don’t have a clue where it is. Maybe this town requires the development required to turn it into somewhere somebody has heard of and this road is another step in the right direction.
So all the NIMBYs out there can be placitated knowning that because of the improved transport links, your homes are going to be worth that little bit more!
Think forward, not backwards.
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The trend in the figures is downwards, Michael.
Fewer cars are coming into the town centre than there were 5 years ago.
And this has been achieved without building a road.
Business leaders say that building a road would ‘slash congestion’.
However, everyone knows that new roads do not cut congestion in the long term.
Would any business leaders who is following this debate comment on what happened in Newbury town centre after the controversial bypass was built?
Yes, congestion was slashed there, but then it returned to the same terrible levels again soon afterwards.
Do business leaders believe that town centre congestion would remain ‘slashed’ 10 years after the building of a NWRR?
And do those who are for a NWRR think it is good practice to spend huge amounts of money, which we don’t have (the UK is currently £175bn in debt) on a highly controversial road, if town centre traffic is decreasing year on year?
Shrewsbury people who I know want to protect our local environment. We want a sustainable future, which takes climate change and peak oil seriously.
We understand that -as every man, woman and child in the UK is £2,800 in debt- the UK is probably best advised spending tax-payers’ scarce money planning for the future, not mortgaging it through increased carbon emissions.
We don’t need a new, expensive road; we need cheaper, smarter policies which cut carbon emissions, improve quality of life and reduce town centre traffic for the long term.
That means investing money in public transport, making it cheaper and more convenient, and making it less polluting.
It also means encouraging walking, cycling, car sharing and car clubs through public education as forward-looking towns and cities around the world are doing.
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the nicest thing about shrewsbury is that it is small enough to walk and cycle around and feels like a ‘people sized ‘ town. To design it more to suit the car than the person is a woeful mistake which will reduce all our quality of life. The road will expand the towns development boundary and all those green fields where we walk our dogs, go jogging or cycling will be turned into Barrett homes or worse social housing with no architectural merit
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michael you continue to embarress your self with your lack of knowledge on a subject which you have so much to say about. In 2007/8 the county council closed shrewsbury town centre to traffic for 2 months, whilst they repair dog pole, thus this huge reduction in traffic that year. What is really interesting though is that once the repairs were complete the trend was resumed as Huw and Mrs Oldaker say, DOWNWARDS, as the councils highway department says, year on year, there is less cars coming into town and walking and cycling is increasing
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ha ha michael got it wrong!!!
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michael is WRONG, Huw is right, less traffic now
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For those unfamiliar with Peter Roberts (#15) he is the head of the Drivers’ Alliance, a lobbying organisation -an offshoot of the front organisation, the ABD- which represents drivers who deny anthropogenic climate change (see discussion thread of http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/06/13/group-to-air-views-of-drivers/).
Maybe Mr Roberts would like the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road debate to become a test case for his transparently self-serving assertion in a previous debate with me ( http://www.shropshirestar.com/2007/08/30/climate-change-to-blame/ #8 ) that ‘man made climate change is a false religion’.
I hope this wilful distortion of the defining issue of our age puts his ‘what is the problem?’ comments above into some sort of context.
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Let’s now deal with some of Mr Roberts’ arguments.
He says that ‘when the new road is complete, traffic in the town will fall dramatically and with it congestion.’
This is contradicted by what happened in Newbury.
By contrast, figures provided by some facts (above) and the local transport plan ( http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/traveltransport.nsf/viewAttachments/LROE-7RHKQB/$file/ltp-2008-progress-report-final.pdf page 20 ) show that traffic levels in Shrewsbury are going down anyway.
This drop in town centre traffic is due to the successful promotion of cycling and walking by the council – relatively cheap policies, which the unrepresentative Drivers Alliance and its supporters oppose ( http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/06/19/town-gets-cycling-boost/ ).
Mr Roberts says, ‘the road is to be built through pretty much open fields with little or no residential properties so what is the problem?’
I recommend Mr Roberts consults the site of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust to see the flora and fauna that will be affected by the road.
Many people recognize that Shrewsbury’s green wedge is part of our natural capital and enhances the quality of life of all people who live here.
In the same way that we feel it is unsustainable for government to squander financial capital which we don’t have on a controversial project which will destroy our countryside and increase carbon emissions, we understand that it is unsustainable to squander our natural capital.
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If the people don’t want to come into town they keep going on the A5 – the relief road doesn’t come into town either, just a quicker way around the A5 to Telford. This has nothing to do with freeing up the town centre, it has everything to do with getting people to bybass Shrewsbury straight to Telford.
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