MORE than 100 residents attended a protest on Sunday opposing plans to make a stretch of the main A38 Birmingham Road in Lickey End three lanes wide and take away a right turning option into School Lane.
The plans are part of the £50million Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP).
Campaigners claim Worcestershire County Council is planning to press ahead with ‘damaging strategic proposals which would increase traffic congestion, noise and air pollution for local residents’.
They say restricting access to the popular junction would adds to extra traffic and this latest action follows a petition signed by almost 300 local residents with dozens of others writing to the major works team to register their objections.
Councillors Josh Robinson and Rob Hunter were among the protestors and have backed the campaign.
They say the priority must be making roads greener and safer for local residents, not moving traffic off the M42 quicker.
And they say a final decision on the scheme is imminent which goes against the hundreds of local residents who are opposed to it.
Coun Robinson, who represents the Lickey End area on the county council, said: “I don’t think the Conservatives understand the strength of opposition to these proposals in Lickey End.
“Whilst we welcome improvements to walking and cycling we are really concerned about changes that could make Lickey End harder to navigate and increase local traffic congestion.”
He urged the decision makers to come and speak to residents before finalising the plans.
Coun Hunter, the Bromsgrove District Council representative, added: “It’s easy to see how these proposals will move traffic off the M42 quicker but very hard to see what the benefit is to the local community here in Lickey End which already suffers with above average levels of air pollution.
“Instead of adding yet more traffic to local roads we should be looking at how we can encourage people out of their cars by improving walking and cycling provision.”
The action in Lickey End followed protests in Bromsgrove last month over plans to install a pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting the two sections of Old Station Road which campaigners claim is not necessary and a ‘waste of cash’.
Worcestershire County Council claims the BREP plans will reduce congestion and improve access links across the town
Coun Alan Amos, the authority’s cabinet member with responsibility for highways and transport, said the scheme did improve walking and cycle routes and added: “The A38 is a major artery through Bromsgrove, used by thousands of commuters and logistics operators every day.
“These improvements will help make those journeys smoother and make Bromsgrove a more accessible place to do business.”
Anyone opposed to the scheme should email their comments to [email protected] to have their say.
