A NEW ring road around Worcester would not solve the problem of traffic in the heart of St Johns, but other more cost-efficient means may, a county council candidate has said.
County council candidates for the St John’s ward have weighed in in recent weeks over the idea of completing Worcester’s bypass to help relieve traffic problems in areas such as Bromyard Road, the Bull Ring and St Johns
Sarah Edwards, Green Party county council candidate for St Johns, said: “The Labour and Conservative candidates both support spending well over £100 million on completing the ring road.
“But this would not solve the heavy traffic that is caused by people crossing the road bridge in vehicles to get to the other side of Worcester.
“This could be achieved by a combination of investing in public transport and active travel, if there was better provision for it.
“It would cost considerably less than to put facilities in place to make cycling safer and walking more pleasant, and to run regular, reliable bus services. People on the doorstep ask all the time for better bus services.”
Calls for the ring road to be completed were once again sparked by Richard Udall, the defending Labour councillor for St Johns.
In response to Ms Edwards, he said: “”Worcester currently has a ring road which only covers two thirds of the city, putting extra pressure on to St Johns’ roads and creating rat-runs.
“My aim is to remove the through traffic by having a ring road so we can reduce the traffic going through St Johns and create the infrastructure to support public transport, cycling and walking.
“The road will not create more traffic, it would simply take it away from St Johns so we can liberate our urban streets for people”.
Due to rules around impartiality during a pre-election period, Worcestershire County Council was unable to comment on the suggestions made by the Green Party.
Ms Edwards added: “As well as easing congestion, having fewer cars on the road would also improve our air.
“Worcester city is in an air quality management area, with the Bullring being one of the most polluted locations.”
Ms Edwards is standing for the Green Party in St John’s against Labour’s Richard Udall, the Conservative’s Bertie Ballinger, Reform UK’s Martin Hewlett, Liberal Democrat Peter Jackson and UKIP’s sole Worcester candidate, Martin Potter.