Protesters form human chain against Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road
Protesters lined part of the route of the planned Shrewsbury North West Relief Road as part of national action against major transport projects.
At least 100 people gathered on fields at Shelton Rough on Saturday, close to where the road will cross the River Severn.
They carried placards and banners highlighting the cost of the road to the environment and climate change, and created a dramatic, human chain leading across the countryside that will be completely changed.
It was part of a national day of protest to highlight the growing opposition to the Government’s plans to build £24.7 billion worth of new roads across the UK.
In Shrewsbury, the £80m road, which would stretch for four miles from Churncote Roundabout to Battlefield, would effectively complete the ring road around Shrewsbury.
Campaigners included local residents, councillors and members of climate change, wildlife and other environmental groups.
Andrew Jowatt said the relief road was not sustainable, while Jamie Russell from Extinction Rebellion, Shrewsbury, said the national road building scheme would blow the UK's carbon budget.
"This road will use four times more carbon per kilometre than the average road," he said.
"To avoid a climate catastrophe we can not keep road building."
Tim Kirby, who lives in Coton Crescent, said the road would be disastrous for the Coton Hill area of the town.
"If the road is built then Coton Hill will become the main road into Shrewsbury town centre from the north," he said.
"The traffic there will be horrendous."
Councillor for the Abbey Ward in the town, Mary Davies, said the cost of the relief road was simply not justified.
"There has to be a rethink on building the North West Relief Road. It is too costly both financially and to the environment."
Christine Clark and her partner, Ian Turner, live in Shelton, their home overlooking fields that will be lost to the road scheme.
"We look our over oak trees that will be felled if the road goes ahead," Christine said.
"I have lived in that house since I was five years old and I grew up with those views."
Ian said the land had been arable fields for centuries but was now at risk of being urbanised.
Shropshire Council is expected to receive a planning application for the road in the spring.
The national action was being led by Roads Rebellion, an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion. It has written an open letter to the Government calling for it to pause and review its transport policy and asking it to redirect funding to cleaner forms of transport instead.
