Rotherwas access road and park and ride top ambitious transport plan

A new access road linking Rotherwas Industrial Estate to Hereford and plans to create the City’s first park and ride scheme top an ambitious multi-million transport plan for Herefordshire over the next five years (starting in April 2006). 
 
The new access road would improve transport links and relieve the South Wye residential area of heavy traffic while park and ride would help free up the City’s congested roads.

The two schemes are at the centre of Herefordshire Council’s newly drafted second Local Transport Plan (LTP), which, subject to Government backing, will see up to £56 million ploughed into the county’s transport and road network from 2006 – 2011. 

The LTP, first implemented in 2001, has now been reviewed to bring it up to date and will be implemented over the next five years starting in April 2006.

Proposals to develop Hereford’s outer distributor road, a scheme to link the A465 across to the A49, which in the long-term will involve connecting the road to a new river crossing, will also be firmed up as part of the LTP. 

Cllr Brian Wilcox, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “We have consulted with a wide range of groups and local organisations in developing the LTP.

“I believe we have developed an ambitious and challenging strategy to deliver a wide range of improvements for local people and businesses.

“The proposals included in the plan are focused on providing better access, making the roads safer, tackling congestion and contributing to air quality improvements.

“As with the first LTP, we will have to continue to develop innovative solutions which ensure that we get good value for money and meets the needs of a rural county.

“The Rotherwas Access Road is the Council’s top priority major scheme and it will help secure the future development of the estate, safeguarding significant numbers of jobs and improve the environment for people living in the South Wye area of Hereford. 

 “We have submitted another bid to Government for funding for the scheme and I urge them to give Herefordshire the funding needed to allow the project to go ahead.

“Whilst unsuccessful in our bid last year, we need Government to acknowledge the necessity of such a scheme for economic regeneration as well as helping to relieve traffic congestion.

“Another proposal is to extend the Christmas park-and-ride to provide an all-year-round service to help relieve some of the congestion of traffic in the City centre.

“Two sites could be used off the A49, one north and one south of the City.”

Major targets set for the first stage of the LTP, 2001 – 2006, were to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the counties roads, boost numbers using public transport and help reduce the school run congestion.

Fatalities and serious accidents have dropped from 179 in 2001 to 141 in 2004 - a 21 per cent cut.

Around 272,000 passenger journeys were made last year on low floor full accessible buses compared to 247,000 in 2001 – a 10 per cent jump.

More than 40 schools across Herefordshire have now developed their own School Travel Plans aimed at promoting innovative ways of transporting children to school and reducing the number of cars on the road.