A ROW has broken out over controversial plans for a stretch of the Birmingham Road in Bromsgrove amidst safety fears.
Adrian Kriss, standing as a Conservative candidate for Bromsgrove Central in the forthcoming Worcestershire County Council elections, believes the proposals for the stretch of the A38 from the M42 island to Artrix need looking at again.
Mr Kriss claimed it was not an issue he was able to take on while there was a sitting councillor for the area.
But now that was no longer the case and, after speaking to residents and seeing the situation for himself, he believed ‘it was an accident waiting to happen’.
He said the controversial proposals, which would see the number of lanes on the road increased from two to three, would not only add to the traffic in the area but would also make it more dangerous for cyclists and hamper emergency service vehicles needing to respond to incidents.
They would see two lanes head southbound and one north, separated by solid white lines which would not only prevent overtaking when needed but prevent residents getting on or off their driveways.
He added the stretch of road was unique in that at the one end – by the M42 island – was a West Midlands Ambulance Station and the other, near Artrix, housed both Bromsgrove’s police and fire stations.
He told the Standard: “I am horrified by the devastating effect the proposals will have for the residents on the Birmingham Road, the impact on our emergency services, and the possible dangers for cyclists like me.
“I sit as vice-chair of the Environment, Overview and Scrutiny panel which covers highways, and we are there to scrutinise where issues, such as this, are highlighted.”
Problems with the modelling
He feels National Highways – which did the modelling – had let the town and its people down with regard to this stretch of road and questioned why the current outgoing county council had not brought it to the scrutiny panel.
“All councillors are invited to attend and participate but at no time has a councillor covering the BREP attended to describe the impact the proposals will have on residents.
“As a scrutiny panel our purpose is to understand residents’ concerns and hold the likes of National Highways to account.
“Emergency service vehicles can just about get to where they need to be because of the broken cross hatchings, which you are only able to enter if it safe to do so.
“But squeezing a third lane in is going to significantly slow down any emergency vehicles attending possible life-threatening situations.”
Mr Kris has called on the new-look Worcestershire County Council – once elected and one he hopes to be part of – to postpone proposed changes to the road until the rest of the BREP has been completed and assessed to gauge if further alterations are needed.
“I cannot believe this has not been sorted in the last four years or brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Environment Committee by any of the councillors bordering the A38.”
‘This could have been sorted earlier’ – Lib Dems
But Liberal Democrat Josh Robinson, who represented the area on the county council and is standing again in next Thursday’s election said his party and the councillors on it had consistently held the Conservative-run council’s ‘feet to the fire’ over their botched BREP scheme.
“Every day people tell me how opposed they are to the Conservative A38 plans.
“That is why I have championed their voice over the past four years, in full council meetings, to council officers in private meetings, on site visits, even writing to the department for transport directly to oppose these plans.
“I welcome the fact the Conservative councillors are finally realising how terrible these plans have been, but I have to ask where they have been for the past four years?
“Why have they not brought this to a committee to look into? How many questions at Worcestershire County Council have they asked about the A38 works in the past four years?
“I am proud to stand on my record of standing up for local residents in Bromsgrove Central, working all year around, whether that is listening to them in their opposition to the A38 works, the numerous roads and pavements I have managed to get re-surfaced for them, the new footpath in Norton Farm, speed activations signs installed on Alcester Road, Stourbridge Road, New Road and Stratford Road, the flooding resolved on Burcot Lane, numerous drains unblocked, double yellow lines installed, temp tarmac sections sorted out on the High Street and more.
“The A38 works have been supported at every level locally by the Conservatives, which has led to hundreds of trees being felled and the problems of traffic in our town not being resolved.
“Residents at this election face a clear choice – vote for the Conservatives to endorse BREP, or vote for hardworking Liberal Democrats who have consistently been opposing this.”
