THE county council has come under fire from a resident who claims a proper consultation is needed into plans for two pedestrian and cycle bridges in Bromsgrove.
The authority unveiled the proposals for the bridges across the A38 last week, prior to submitting a formal planning application for them.
Residents can view the schemes on the council’s website and at Bromsgrove Library where boards have gone on display between now and July 30.
The two structures form part of Phase 3 of Worcestershire County Council’s A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (A38 BREP), which aims to support all road users within the corridor.
But Geoff Hook, who lives in Warwick Avenue, claimed no facts and figures had been released about how many people used the area or how many accidents there had been there.
And he fears the council’s approach may not get the response a project like this justified.
“They have just said ‘here are the plans, send us an email’ and I think there needs to be more engagement.
“With restrictions easing, they could have easily held a public meeting so people can get together and have a proper discussion.”
He also said because the ramps would need to be 100m either side, the bridges would be close to a crossing which people could use, rendering the scheme ‘a waste of money’.
The schemes involve replacing the pedestrian and cycle bridge between Fordhouse Road and Carnforth Road, allowing for bikes and modern accessibility standards.
The other would be a new pedestrian and cycle bridge between the two ends of Old Station Road at the location of the existing pedestrian crossing on the A38.
The council said the two bridges had been designed to provide safe and secure crossings on the A38, promoting walking and cycling within the area, building on the recent successful delivery of a comprehensive network of walking and cycling routes across the town.
These are aimed at linking residential areas, employment sites, schools, the hospital, the town centre and the railway station.
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We are currently running a pre-planning public information exercise regarding a proposal for two footbridges over the A38 in Bromsgrove.
“The purpose of this is to provide information to residents on the proposals and to give them the opportunity to comment before the planning application is submitted.
“This pre- planning exercise is over and above the statutory requirements and there will be a further opportunity for residents to comment as part of the statutory planning process.
“We currently have information on this proposal on our website, there are stands in the local libraries detailing the proposals, we’ve written directly to any residents in the immediate local vicinity and promoted the proposal in the local press and on social media. This is all in accordance with our normal procedure.
“If you wish to comment on the proposal please email [email protected] before Friday, August 13.”
Visit www.worcestershire.gov.uk/A38brep for more on the bridges and the A38 Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP).
