Archived press release

Salisbury Bypass: Alternatives cheaper and more effective says new independent report

24 March 1997

Fresh doubt has been passed on the Salisbury bypass after a new and independent report published today concluded that a package of local transport measures could tackle Salisbury's traffic problems at a fraction of the cost of the road [1]. The report's findings come a week after a Highways Agency report revealed that an environmentally acceptable route for the proposed Salisbury bypass was not achievable [2], and just days after the Road Traffic Reduction Act, became law. The Act will require local authorities to set targets to reduce traffic in their area.

The new report, by the Metropolitan Transport Research Unit [3], concludes that "demand management methods, that are now at the centre of Government policy [4], could be applied to Salisbury. Expected traffic reductions would be between 18 and 47 per cent...Even at the lower level of success, demand management for Salisbury would outperform a bypass."

The Salisbury bypass is expected to cost over £80 million, but it may be far more expensive since it has been entered into the 'private finance initiative' for roads. By contrast, the proposed alternatives would cost little over £1 million. They would include:

* Improvements to bus services, which could cut car journeys by 5%
* Improvements to cycling and walking networks, which could cut car journeys by 10%
* Safe routes to school, which could cut peak hour car journeys during term-time by 30%
* Green commuter plans, which could cut peak hour individual journeys to work by 20%
* A healthy travel campaign, which could cut social and leisure car journeys by 15%;
* Traffic management to improve the current A36 through Salisbury.

Simon Festing, transport campaigner for Friends of the Earth said:

"This report shows that the Salisbury bypass is unnecessary. Public transport alternatives could achieve greater benefits for the city at lower cost. This is yet another nail in the coffin of this destructive bypass, which should be scrapped now for the sake of both the environment and the taxpayer."

[1] The report by the Metropolitan Transport Research Unit, Transport in Salisbury:Demand Management Solutions, was commissioned by Friends of the Earth and ALARM UK, and published on 24 March 1997. (Further copies are available from 'Salisbury FOE,3 Hadrians Close, Salisbury, SP2 9NN. Price £10.00 incl p&p)

[2] On 18 March 1997 the Highways Agency reported on the serious environmental impacts of a variety of bypass routes and concluded that "no bypass can be built around Salisbury without raising concerns of the nature highlighted in this report."

The proposed bypass would damage East Harnham Meadows (a Site of Special Scientific Interest); The River Avon Valley, recently notified as a site of special scientific interest(SSSI), and soon to be protected under European Law as a 'Special Area for Conservation'; as well as The nationally designated West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and The historic view of the Cathedral, which has changed little since it was painted by John Constable.

[3] The Metropolitan Transport Research Unit is consultant to Wiltshire County Council and has worked with the Countryside Commission on a rural transport strategy for Wiltshire.Keith Buchan, author of the report, is an advisor to the Government on traffic forecasts.

[4] The need to 'manage demand' is the main plank of Government guidance to local authorities in Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 on Transport, and is included in the Government's Green Paper on Transport of 1996: Transport the Way Forward.

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