THIS weeks Bromsgrove and Droitwich Standard letters.
We’re still waiting
AS THE A38 road improvements have been given the green light for WCC to commence work perhaps, both WCC and BDC need reminding of a Strategic Transport Assessment.
We have been promised at least two of these rare beasts by BDC for over two years with no result.
Indeed STAs are still awaited by both Birdbox and Perryfields developments before progress can be made on these significant developments to our town.
Some Internet research on other successfully produced STAs across councils in the UK in the last 12 months enabled me to see they are publicly open to inspection and to question why WCC and BDC seem to be incapable of producing them.
An STA is a report that documents the process undertaken in identifying and evaluating a framework of transport improvement measures required to support any action plans. It is also a template for the substantial expansion of residential and commercial development in an area.
Assessments should recognise the impact of additional homes in an area which will clearly generate significant additional demands on a transport network.
In response to an assessment a transport network needs to act by providing additional facilities and capacity, for ALL modes of travel, to satisfy local and more distant travel needs.
A suitably researched STA provides the framework for transport infrastructure improvements which will support the delivery of sustainable development.
An STA acts as a blueprint against which future (and current) planning applications can be assessed and determined.
Each planning application must have an individual transport assessment that considers the impacts of that application.
We did have a promised STA for Bromsgrove itself after five years of delays featuring the use of WCC expenses in six months of traffic counting and finally in March 2021 a tender was created for our STA.
However the year before in 2019 after a meeting arranged between the BDC and WCC leaders, we lost all previous work on our local STA and were included in a new North Worcestershire all-encompassing one run by WCC and now the new basis and upon which traffic and transport decisions are to be made.
Thus the March tender appears to have been rescinded in favour of a WCC one announced at the April 2021 BDC meeting.
So our promised Bromsgrove local STA does not exist, nor so far, does the WCC one for the wider north of the county so how are traffic and transport decisions being made in our name from either council without reference to any assessments?
For example how do we know the WCC traffic plans on the A38 do not conflict with the needs of the whole of Bromsgrove since no consultation or STA exists?
What we do know is other councils in the UK have these assessments in place for the public to view before expensive works are carried out.
Graham Dallas
Bromsgrove
Ticket Office plea
FURTHER to the feature on page six of last week’s Standard regarding the proposed closure of the ticket office at Droitwich Spa Railway Station, BARRUP (Bromsgrove and Redditch Rail User Partnership) wishes to remind everyone who wants to keep both the Spa and the Bromsgrove Station offices open that they have now until Friday, September 1, to contact transportfocus.org.uk and our two local MPs, Nigel Huddleston and Sajid Javid with their reasons for so doing.
The closure of the offices makes the assumption that everyone who wishes to travel by train has a digital device, such as a computer or smartphone, and is able to use them to book tickets for, what in many instances, may be journeys involving more than one train from more than one station and for which they may need advice.
This is simply not true and the proposals by the train operators, however they are dressed up, are purely cost-cutting measures which will reduce the level of service for passengers and deter them from travelling by train, with the consequent economic, environmental and social costs.
Nick Taylor
BARRUP
Law change needed after Lucy Letby trial?
IT IS disgraceful that nurse Lucy Letby was not in the dock to hear the families’ statements and her sentencing.
I think she should have been made to do this.
There is also the issue of how much taxpayers’ money will be spent on keeping her in prison for the rest of her life.
In cases like this, where there is no doubt, maybe the death penalty should be brought back.
I would be interested to hear what other readers think.
Fred Stanley
Bromsgrove
Are High Streets Ghost Towns?
SO WE see more car parks closed for more housing that attracts more council tax, more cash than a car park.
How the councils made High Streets ghost towns?
First they introduced one-way systems and bus only lanes making it difficult to navigate around even your home town, then they made parking nearly impossible, then they charged huge amounts for what parking there is and the future is no doubt introducing ‘low emission’ zone charges as an additional shopping tax.
Hand-in-hand with that are the cuts in bus and train services which have taken travel in the UK back to the 17th Century.
Throw in the last 18 months of transport strikes and you have to ask why would anyone go into places like Bromsgrove?
Well, you can’t get to it if you don’t have a car. I go online if I want anything now.
Wilko is shutting stores mainly because people can’t buy anything heavy or bulky because they are in a shopping centre just like Bromsgrove – with a car park 500 yards away.
S Francis
Bromsgrove
EDITORS COMMENT- After successive promotions, Bromsgrove Sporting’s progress seemed to have stalled over the past two seasons.
The club has successfully consolidated its position and, with the new owners taking over, there will be a lot of optimism at the Victoria Ground.
Brian Seymour-Smith, Paul Molesworth and Craig Cotterill have a wealth of experience between them and, already boasting the highest attendances in the league, the fan base is in place.
The Rouslers, supporters and the town deserve this club to be at a higher level.
WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS
Email [email protected] to send in your views.
