Bedford Borough Cllr Roger Rigby has slammed Mayor Hodgson for his ‘inertia’ in delivering a solution to chronic road congestion on Ampthill Road.
This verdict came after the Council’s Environment and Sustainable Communities Committee heard last week that the authority has lost the original traffic flow data for the infamous intersection at Cowbridge; the main route to the Interchange Retail Park.
The Committee, of which Cllr Rigby is a member, also heard from Highways England that the Cowbridge junction was designed without knowledge of the later developments adjacent to the Interchange Retail Park, such as the Marks and Spencer Foodhall and B & Q.
Following the meeting, Cllr Rigby said:
‘Highways England has explained it is not able to re-open the old A421 link road because of extra traffic weaving on and off between 3 junctions in close proximity. This would have been ideal in diverting the Retail Park traffic away from Cowbridge, thus taking the pressure off Ampthill Road.
‘My concern is that the Mayor has been in charge for 7 years yet his inertia has not helped residents, shoppers and commuters suffering the misery of crawling along Ampthill Road on a daily basis. They are now saying ‘enough is enough’ and it is certainly not doing any good for business and jobs.
‘It does not help that traffic data which could illustrate the extent of the problem has gone missing, even though users of Ampthill Road know it is a road in crisis that will ultimately lead to less investment in Bedford.
‘The Mayor needs to get on with making a strong case to the Local Enterprise Partnership and the Government for funding to address motorists’ immense frustration and anger once and for all.’