Relief road backed
Thursday 23rd July 2009, 2:30PM BST.
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The Government has approved an £85 million windfall to help pay for Shrewsbury’s controversial North West Relief Road.
The £100 million bypass is among a host of schemes in the West Midlands to receive funding support to improve transportation in the region.
Supporters claim the road will slash congestion and boost business in the town, but opponents say the scheme will be an “environmental disaster”.
Plans for the relief road, which will stretch for four miles from the A5 at Churncote Island to the western end of the Battlefield Link Road, have been in the pipeline for 20 years.
Phil Crossland, Shropshire Council’s assistant director for transport and highways, said the announcement was an important step forward.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted at the announcement that the NWRR has been allocated regional funding. What it actually means is that, subject to meeting certain criteria, the Government is indicating that there is £85 million available.”
Mr Crossland said there were still traffic studies to be completed and planning permission to be obtained, but he said the road was expected to be built by 2017.
But objectors to the scheme today said it would destroy the countryside and create more pollution.
Dr Katy Anderson, member of the No-Way Group against the road, said: “I am disappointed and surprised that the Government has let this expensive and outdated scheme through.
“At the moment it takes about 15 minutes to cross the town by car. The road will take a few minutes off that time, for a while, but just like at Newbury, traffic will build up again and wipe out the benefit.
“We’ll have spent £85 million, destroyed a swathe of the ecologically valuable landscape near the town and achieved nothing but increased carbon emissions.”
The Government says detailed schemes and impact on greenhouse gas emissions will be considered further on a case by case basis before receiving full approval.
Also in the Regional Funding Allocations are extensions to the Midland Metro tram network into Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the fast-tracking of small rail schemes such as improvements to Kidderminster Station.
By Russell Roberts
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Next on the agenda will be traffic calming at Montford bridge and Bicton to slow the increased traffic flow from the A5 north. The new road still won’t stop the flow of traffic from the A5 through Ryton X1 towns and Baschurch to Battlefield and vice versa.
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At last we can look forward to this long awaited road to be built.
I know some have issues with this project, but I for one think that it should now go ahead as soon as possible.
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This is excellent news. If you can cross town in 15 minutes from north to south you must be doing it at 3 in the morning or in a flying car.
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About time too. 20 years too late, but what do you expect with our dithering Council.
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we cant afford this
even if 85% comes from government they are still giving us tax payers money which there is not alot of at the moment.
that leaves the council tax payer with £15million pounds to find which means £3000 each on your council tax for everyone in Shrewsbury!!
we didnt elect a tory council to put taxes up, lets drop this scheme and save the money
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what about this triple SI (SSSI) that this road will destroy, its full of newts and rare flowers and is allegdedly protected from all development
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it looks to me like an inner by pass, it wont be dualed it will need another by pass again in 10 years time in my opinion
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Actually there’s little chance of it getting the go ahead: the Government has been backtracking heavily because it knows it hasn’t the money.
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sorry i will not be there for the grand opening in may 2085
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What a criminal waste of money! Like Shrewsbury doesn’t already have a ring road and a dual carriageway bypass.
And next they’ll tell us there’s no cash for public transport or improving facilities in overcrowded schools etc.
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What they should be looking at is taking out the Park and ride buses and replacing them with a metro/local rail service that runs from Halescott to Meole brace, thats the best way and the greenest way to get across town from north to south in 10/15 minutes. It would be a considerable cheaper option to do this too. You have 5 stations, one is already built in the town centre. The route from North to south would be Harlsecott —-> Ditherington Flax Mill —> Shrewsbury Central —–> Old Potts way/Reabrook—–>Meole Brace/Bayston hill. Also other trains could also used these stops like the local lines to Crewe, swansea and cardiff.
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only conservatives will stop stealth taXes on the car, we are the motorists friend, we will get more roads built and make it easier to drive again and free to park, unlike clown brown who milks the motorist for cash in taxes
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Typical article. The enviro-fascists get a chance to come out with the usual lines about carbon emissions, wasted money, how roads don’t solve traffic problems etc.
We have got to start attacking the idiotic beliefs that these people have. All they ever do is halt progress and ensure the continual slide of this country into economic stagnation. It is a statement of fact that without adequate road capacity, business leaves these shores. Enviro-fascists would soon lose their idealistic visions if they couldn’t afford to fund their lifestyle, because UK PLC was out traded by the rest of the world i.e. You’d care more about paying your bills than some newts or an SSSI. Stop living in blinkered isolation and allow the country to build for the future. Carbon neutral personal transportation will also require road capacity, so stick your carbon emissions argument.
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a sad day for the local and global environmnet
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Andrew Graves laments the fact that environmentalists have ‘come out with the usual lines about carbon emissions, wasted money, how roads don’t solve traffic problems etc.’
Perhaps it is because these arguments are demonstrably true, Andrew.
1) Carbon emissions.
Shropshire County Council’s own figures (July 07) show an estimated rise in CO2 emissions from road traffic in the town of 13% if the scheme is built.
Shropshire County Council, the West Midlands and the UK as a whole are committed to REDUCING carbon emissions.
Surely it is not ‘idiotic’ to point out this contradiction.
And surely it is not ‘idiotic’ to hope that the millions spent on transport should contribute towards reducing CO2 emissions.
2) Wasting money
The UK government is currently £175bn in debt (that’s nearly £3,000 for every single one of us).
£100 million is a lot of money.
Sustainable smart solutions to congestion problems are MUCH cheaper.
And they have demonstrably cut carbon in places where they have been introduced.
3) Roads don’t solve traffic problems
Congestion levels in Newbury are back up to the same levels as they were when that controversial bypass was built.
As you think the above arguments are ‘idiotic’, Andrew, perhaps you could say why.
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