Bath MP, Ben Howlett took up the case of a relief road for the city when he met the new Roads Minister for the first time.
He had talks with the Rt Hon John Hayes, Minister of State at the Department for Transport with responsibility for strategic roads to discuss the A36/A46 link road.
Ben reported of the meeting
“The Minister was very receptive to the idea of the A36/A46 link road, particularly one that aesthetically reflects the character of Bath and the surrounding countryside. I will be working closely with the Minister, Highways England and Historic England in the coming months to ensure that the correct feasibility and scoping projects are undertaken and that that views of constituents are listened to during the consultation period.”
The Minister himself said of the meeting
“There is a rare opportunity in Bath to protect the unique character of the city, and enhance the surrounding area with a beautiful infrastructure project that can be admired by future generations whilst helping to resolve Bath’s traffic congestion woes. Action here is long overdue, and the importance to the entire road network for the region cannot be underestimated.
I very much hope to see rapid progress towards developing a solution that will ensure Bath’s unique heritage is both preserved and enhanced.”
Ben has also been collecting signatures on his parliamentary petition in support of this project which now total over 1500 – and is urging people who have yet to sign, to please do so.
You can email him ben.howlett.mp@parliament.uk and his office will ensure a copy is delivered.
Why this link road wasn’t built before amazes me, it is SO obviously a vital need for Bath traffic reduction at the Cleveland Bridge area. I used to live at Cleveland Reach in 1985 so know how vital a relief road is for Bath. The powers that be have been unbelevably slow in getting this job done. It is time to stop the chat, just do it NOW!