South West councils are lobbying for a major road linking with the M4, but are they ignoring Somerset?
If you live in Somerset and you're nowhere near the M5, getting round the region can be a pain.
But motorists trying to get to the regional capital city of Bristol or the M4 have precious little choice.
The alternative to the M5 for people in the east of Somerset is the A37, but the traversing the route can be a marathon.
And it has a shocking reputation for serious and fatal crashes.
So it might seem like good news that councils and businesses in the South West are now lobbying for better transport links between the south coast and the M4 corridor.
Except that it almost entirely ignores Somerset.
The proposed link road aims to connect the M4 with Channel ports of Poole and Southampton.
The proposal claims a particular problem is the large number of heavy goods vehicles travelling between the ports and the motorway network.
The A350, the A338 and the A36/A46 through Bath experience considerable congestion.
But what about the M5? It is probably more congested than any of the other roads.
And the A37 remains almost entirely single carriageway.
Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Poole councils got together, which explains why these areas would benefit from the new road.
But there is nothing to improve connectivity to Somerset.
Of course, the main goal of the road would be to avoid the congestion and get better access to the South. But it will also boost the economy for businesses who previously struggled due to the lack of good transport links.
Jim Stewart, CEO of Poole Harbour Commissioners, said: "The absence of an effective north-south link has hindered growth in Dorset's economy for decades. 25 per cent of deliveries are delayed – this means that excess labour costs are incurred."
The predictions are that if the plans for the link road go ahead, there will be new jobs and homes for the regions.
Bath and North East Somerset would have 10,300 new jobs and 13,000 new homes by 2029.
Dorset would have 30,000 new jobs and 68,114 new homes in Dorset including Bournemouth and Poole by 2032.
And Wiltshire is predicted to get 27,500 new jobs and 42,000 homes by 2026.
Highways England publishes SRN Initial Report and starts two-month consultation period.
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