DOING nothing to tackle Stratford’s traffic congestion problem is not an option, it was claimed this week.
The town’s second ‘traffic summit’, organised by MP Nadhim Zahawi, saw more than 100 residents and businesses come together on Friday evening (October 3) to consider ways to tackle current traffic issues in the town
Most popular solutions were putting in either a relief road to take traffic away from the town centre and improving the ongoing problems on the A3400 Birmingham Road.
As the highways authority, Warwickshire County Council will now be responsible for coming up with a masterplan for a Stratford traffic management scheme, which will be submitted to the Local Enterprise Partnership for potential funding.
Coun John Horner, who is both a county and district councillor, told The Observer: “When I accepted the task of coordinating the county’s approach to traffic issues in Stratford I assumed a “do nothing” option was viable.
“However recent work by the Department of Transport forecasts a 42 per cent increase in traffic volume over the next 25 years so we need to ensure Stratford has a roads system that can cope with this enormous increase.
“The meeting went very well. The atmosphere was constructive and a number of new suggestions were tabled by attendees but the relief road and improving Birmingham Road were runaway winners in terms of priorities.”
He added compromises would have to be made along the way but the county council would process the new ideas and issue regular progress updates on the masterplan.
And Mr Zahawi – who also organised the first summit back in July – said he was delighted so many had attended.
He added: “This meeting was focused on providing feedback on some of the solutions identified. The county council will now be collating and analysing the feedback in preparation for more work.
“These are still the first steps and we have a long way to go, but I am determined to ensure we resolve Stratford’s traffic issues.”
