Town gridlock 'will be tackled'

DIRE predictions of gridlock bringing the A14 to a standstill around one of the county's main towns are being taken seriously, council bosses said last night.

Bury St Edmunds residents and MP for the rapidly-growing town, David Ruffley, fear the main road around the town will soon be totally clogged with traffic - particularly at rush hour.

And St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Highways Agency officials are now investigating possible solutions - which could include a park and ride scheme or widening the road.

Mr Ruffley said thousands of pounds should be poured into assessing the increase in traffic flow over the next few years, in order for the correct course of action to be determined.

"The exits off the A14 are becoming increasingly congested, and although this is the sign of a vibrant town, it means in rush hour the roads are becoming more like a car park," he said.

"We are fast approaching gridlock and we have to find a solution to the problem."

It is hoped that the East of England Regional Chamber - which aims to improve the social economic and environmental well being of people who live and work in the region - will stump up cash to fund a survey on the A14 and its connecting slip roads into Bury.

"We need to find a practical solution and any ideas will be looked into," said Mr Ruffley. "One possible resolution put forward by the Road Haulage Association has been to widen the carriageway and slip roads, and a park and ride scheme has also been talked about, although at the moment Bury is not considered big enough to sustain such a project."

The matter was outlined in a local plan drawn up for the town, which looked at the future development options for Bury.

In it, the Highways Agency warned that there were existing or anticipated problems at three out of the four junctions off the A14 into the town.

A spokesman for St Edmundsbury Borough Council said: "As part of the local plan outlining future development options for Bury, the council has been advised that central and eastern A14 interchanges may not be able to accommodate any further development in the town beyond that already planned.

"The borough council is working with other local authorities in Suffolk, the Highways Agency and Strategic Rail Authority, to consider these future capacity issues.

"This will include looking at other development options and carrying out a study of traffic and rail movements along the A14 corridor.

"We look forward to the development of the Rookery crossroads interchange and a future link to Moreton Hall which would ease some of the concerns about capacity."