A controversial new report calling on council bosses to scrap plans for a relief road to the west of Hereford has been challenged.
The report from the Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU) concludes that not all the options have been considered and says a new route could have the potential to increase carbon emissions.
But council bosses, who last week rejected a community poll on the issue, say the report is ‘flawed’ and insist that studies have been comprehensive.
The report, commissioned by Here for Hereford, Cycle Hereford and Herefordshire Friends of the Earth, finds there is a potential to encourage cycling and walking.
It also advocates the scrapping of bus lanes on the A49, which it says could cause additional congestion.
The report says: “In view of the failure to fully address the option generation stage of the appraisal process, or to test an obvious alternative which would be likely to perform very well against all objectives, it has not been proved that a road is essential to allow for new development or to address congestion in Hereford.”
It adds: “Detailed outputs from the existing modelling already show that a sustainable package without a relief road would be more likely to meet council objectives and national carbon targets than a road scheme combined with such a package.
The detailed programme of sustainable measures could be targeted to meet specific needs even more effectively than the generic list of measures given in the council’s sustainable options.”
However, Herefordshire Council were quick to defend themselves, describing the report as ‘flawed’.
In a statement, the council said: “A great deal of technical work and transport modelling has been carried out already to consider how best to plan for the future growth of Hereford and the wider county. This has looked at options with and without a relief road, including sustainable transport options alone.
“This work has shown that a relief road, in association with a package of sustainable transportation measures, is the only way to facilitate some planned growth and protect the economic viability of both Hereford city and the wider county.
“Investment in our roads and transportation infrastructure is essential to provide a firm basis to cope with the predicted growth in population and support the county’s economy.
“These are major issues and we look forward to receiving further views and opinions in the coming weeks as we consult on the Local Development Plan.”