A LONG ROAD AHEAD
MP PLAYS FOR TIME IN BYPASS BATTLE

There will be no bypass around – or under – Saltaire for "many, many years," stated Phillip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, at a public meeting organised by Saltaire Village Society on September 24th, writes Pamela Reynolds.

Bradford Council is set to conduct a feasibility study to see if it’s possible to build a combined road and tunnel link that would run from the western edge of Saltaire through to the Canal Road area on the eastern side of Shipley town centre. If the bypass gets approval, the projected cost is between £120m - £130m, though funding is not available until after 2012. The study is supported by Mr. Davies who believes more roads are needed to deal with traffic congestion which, he believes, will increase as people aspire to owning more cars.

Locals think the bypass is a non-starter as any road running through and under Saltaire could not be defined as “bypassing” the village.  Councillor, Kevin Warnes (Green Party) stated that the Council’s preferred option of a single lane carriageway would accommodate only a quarter of existing traffic, so Saltaire’s traffic problem would remain. Mr. Davies responded that dual carriageways were expensive and construction of long tunnels was discouraged by government, so if the study  showed the bypass would not solve the problem, it would be pointless. The SVS think that public money would be better spent on long-term sustainable solutions - public transport and reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Mr. Davies will not support the bypass if it affected Saltaire as a World Heritage Site or damaged Hirst Wood, though he would support something “workable”.

For more information, visit the Saltaire Village Society website.