Shropshire Star readers have their say on latest North West Relief Road developments
Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road has generated plenty of public opinion – although the most vocal have always been those opposed to the plans.
Despite that, Shropshire Council's leader Councillor Lezley Picton, has previously said she believed a 'silent majority' are in favour of the road.
The latest news of yet another delay to the project has been met with mixed feelings from county residents – with many expressing their views on the Shropshire Star website.
While there is support for the scheme from some, it would seem the vocal majority are again those who are against the scheme.
Your views on shropshirestar.com
Steve B – obviously not a fan of the project – said: "It's as if SCC is totally blind to the consequences of Climate Change. Use the money to develop better public transport networks to get people out of their cars. Build new housing where people can access services by foot, bicycle or bus. Personally owned cars are going to be too expensive for most of us anyway and their use highly regulated. Smell the coffee Salop !!!!"
morefollows insisted they are one of the 'silent majority', and called for progress on the project, saying: "Another pathetic attempt to stall the building of this much needed road which is backed by the majority in and around Shrewsbury.
"Our drinking water actually couldn't get much worse. Build it. Proud to be a member of the silent majority."
WrekinRog was another opposed to the plan, arguing the money could be better spent. He said: "But this road will never solve Shrewsbury's alleged traffic problems and the environmental impact is huge. So Smithfield road traffic will be reduced by 20 per cent – big deal (SC data).
"When will they get the message that this road is not sustainable – we need more creative developments, including decent public transport everywhere and LOCAL facilities such as shops GPs schools etc."
Shrewslass was furious at the latest news of the delay, saying: "Another way of halting what is desperately needed to relieve traffic on the Ellesmere Road, Coton Hill and Smithfield Road."
Jamie Russell, a well-known opponent of the plan, wrote: "This isn't about whether residents support the NWRR or not, it's about a STATUTORY government stakeholder saying they can't approve the road plans because the info provided by the council in the Environmental Impact Assessment isn't up to standard. The council has spent years (and £23 million of taxpayer cash) doing the paperwork and it's completely failed to satisfy the key stakeholders (the Environment Agency, Natural England, and Severn Trent Water).
"Imagine what Shropshire could have done with £23m..."
Hodgeheg had their own suggestions for ways to improve the traffic situation in the county, saying: "The NWRR is a lost cause. In its current form it won't do what it is intended for. If you support the idea of completing the ring road then you should be calling for a double carriageway trunk road on this section. Spending millions to build a 600m long bridge which is single carriageway means it will be obsolete before work even begins. In any case it would be more cost effective to spend the money on making Dobbies and Emstrey roundabouts into motorway style flyover junctions - that would also have a bigger effect on improving journey times and traffic flow. The only thing keeping the NWRR project active is that the council have spent too much money on it and no one has the courage to admit it is yet another costly mistake, so instead they keep pretending that it is fine and spending thousands more pounds each week. The sooner this scheme goes in the bin the better."
The Fat Controller meanwhile pulled no punches with their views on the latest developments, saying: "Excellent news – another nail in the coffin of a dreadful scene that will make Shrewsbury's traffic and pollution worse, wreck a beautiful landscape, cull hundreds of veteran trees while bankrupting Shropshire Council."
