Letter: Drop road plan to save cash
Tuesday 18th May 2010, 9:00AM BST.
Letter: Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow is asking his officers to “think the unthinkable” and to plan for 25 per cent budget cuts. Such cuts will be as difficult as they are deep, but there is one easy “thinkable” option open to the council.
Shropshire Council has budgeted £2,609,000 over the next three years for the design and development costs of the North West Relief Road. Building the road will later consume £102 million of which £15 million must be found from local funds.
Does anyone really believe that this road will be built in the foreseeable future? All political parties are committed to deep expenditure cuts sooner or later.
It is very unlikely that any government will allocate £87 million for this road at a time when it will be making cuts in education and social budgets.
Neither is it likely that any government will be willing to throw money at such an environmentally controversial project in a period of political uncertainty.
It is time for Shropshire Council to admit that its plans for the North West Relief Road have reached a dead end. It can then immediately free up £2.6 million to spend on more worthwhile projects that will bring greater benefit to the residents of Shropshire.
This is a “thinkable” cut. It is one the council can and should make now.
Andy Boddington
CPRE Shropshire
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I totally agree with Andy Boddington’s comments. Lets hope Shropshire County Council take note!
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This has been a non starter since the depression of 2008. To waste any more council tax funds for the next ten years at least would be ludicrous. Take heed Shropshire Council, save the £2 million.
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A project such as the north west relief road maybe environmentally sensitive, but in the larger context of Shrewsbury it will undoubtedly improve the current ‘grid lock’ we see most days in the town centre.
For a medieval town centre to attempt to cope with current traffic demands simply seems illogical.
We pride ourselves on our towns history,heritage and architecture.We have strict conservation procedures to maintain the integrity of the signature tudor buildings sprinkled around the centre,but we allow them to be comprimised by constant traffic jams and vehicle fumes.
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Do you think a road will remove congestion in the town centre for ever, Dean?
Surely when cash is tight, we should use cheaper, smarter methods to reduce congestion.
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It will improve the current congestion levels yes,im certain of that.
Im interested in the ‘cheaper’ and ‘smarter’ methods you mention.Are you referring to schemes such as the park and ride scheme. Public transport/cycle schemes?
Encouraging people to use these in a town like Shrewsbury rather than their cars would be difficult. Thus pushing us down the ‘congestion charge’ route which im sure we dont want.
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Sorry not to get back to you earlier, Darren.
How long do you think a road would improve congestion levels for?
1 year? 5 years? For ever?
What happened in Newbury showed that cuts to congestion were short-lived, while the damage to the environment was permanent.
I think we should spend our money on sustainable solutions, which preserve Shewsbury’s natural capital, like subsidies for Park and Ride and public transport, encouraging walking and cycling, public education about sustainability issues, publicity about car-sharing schemes ( see https://www.liftshare.com/uk/ ) and promotion of car clubs.
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The NWRR will NOT improve the so-called gridlock (by which you mean busy arterial roads at peak times on weekdays). It may relieve traffic around The Mount, Frankwell, Smithfield Road and Chester Street/Coton Hill at those times but not by anywhere near as much as the planners and the council would have us believe.
It will have a minimal impact on journey times, and then only for those driving from Shelton, Welshpool Road or Montford Bridge to Battlefield. It will benefit those going to Ellesmere/Wem/Hadnall and the A49 northbound, traffic that will NOT be entering the town and would normally use the A5 dual carriageway. How is this of benefit to Shrewsbury?
Since many destinations in north Shrewsbury are not right beside the roundabout with Huffley Lane the claimed improvement in journey times will disappear as there will be more drivers on Harlescott Lane, Harlescott crossroads, Featherbed Lane and Whitchurch Road.
The town already has a ring road and a bypass. Every time a new road is constructed it leads to an increase in traffic and people use the bypassed routes because they’re quieter.
A question most people have ignored is: why are the council so keen to promote and build this road? The answer is partly to do with the fact that they intend to build lots of houses on the land inside it.
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