Save Our Bypass flyers have been delivered through doors in parts of Hereford over recent days, sparking anger from anti-bypass groups such as Wye Ruin It.
The flyer says:
Are you stuck in traffic when trying to drive down Ross Road, Belmont Road or Whitecross Road? Are you fed up of the traffic tailbacks caused by so many cars and lorries using the A49 trying to cross the river in the centre of the city?
The Previous Council administration were on the verge of agreeing a western bypass for the city. It would have included a new bridge across the river and prevented through traffic such as HGVs travelling through the city. This would have greatly reduced the gridlock experienced on a daily basis, improved the air quality and changed the whole feel of the city.
In May 2019 the newly elected coalition council decided to pause bypass projects and pay for a review. Meanwhile government funding for the Southern Link Road was lost due to a lack of commitment to complete the project.
The bypass review cost £483,000. It concluded that the best way to reduce congestion was to build a western bypass. The coalition cabinet decided to scrap it anyway.
The chance of a bypass will be gone for decades unless we all act now. The people of Hereford must speak out.
The decision whether or not to scrap the western bypass will taken at a council meeting on the 22nd January.
This flyer has received an angry response from some of those against the idea of a western bypass. The Wye Ruin It group posted a response on social media saying:
Misleading propaganda is spreading throughout the County IT MUST BE EXPOSED FOR THE LIES.
The pro road building lobby wants to destroy our city with a giant river flyover and access to 6,500 new houses. They still have the cheek to call it a Bypass.
We all know it’s an urban expansion plan, not a Bypass.
The Council needs our support to kill this destructive proposal on 22 January. We must finish the job we set out to do three years ago.
STOP THE “BYPASS” it is a Trojan Horse for National house developers. It would take ten years and only increase traffic, ill health and environmental destruction. HEREFORD DESERVES BETTER PLANS.
