Arthur Collins of Hereford states Ashford's road plan is different situation (From Hereford Times)

Arthur Collins of Hereford states Ashford's road plan is different situation

7:00am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

IMPROVING the city’s inner ring road is a laudable project. But why is it referred to as an inner ring road when there is no other ring road?

Tree-lined boulevards that emulate continental towns and cities with their pedestrian-friendly environments are wonderful, futuristic concepts.

Yet this will only be possible once the traffic that wishes to avoid the city centre is diverted away from the city and around the city boundaries. A link road from Edgar Street towards the railway station is not going to do that.

Great mention is made of how the town of Ashford in Kent has received awards for its new pedestrian-friendly inner ring road, and how Hereford could copy this example. Strangely, some vital facts were omitted from reports about this Kentish town which I have visited on a regular basis for work over the years.

It is true that Ashford has an inner ring road that has been transformed, yet is still congested in early morning and late afternoon.

But Ashford has something Hereford does not possess – an outer orbital road system that attempts to take traffic away from the town centre to five large ‘roundabout hubs’ linking the suburbs, local village roads and the M20 motorway that connects the Channel Tunnel with London, the M2 and M25.

It is only because Ashford has all these extra bypass routes that the town now experiences less traffic congestion than previously. And the fact that Ashford was able to attempt to initiate change to its inner ring road based on a continental-style boulevard system was entirely due to it having the outer orbital road.

Even Ashford’s good transport links cannot cope when cross-channel ferry services are disrupted or the Channel Tunnel is closed. The M20 becomes a lorry park for many miles (Operation Stack) and the surrounding roads are an absolute nightmare.

So when good ideas are proposed for Hereford based on another town’s experience, please let us have the full facts rather than an idealistic version that omits essential information.