The Goyt Valley in Bredbury contains pastureland, meadows, woods, the river and commands open country views. It can fairly be described as a local beauty spot and is well worth a visit.

If the A555 bypass was completed, some areas would actually experience higher traffic volumes than is currently the case. Of the areas where traffic volumes were reduced, the question that should be asked is how long will the reduction last?

The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) has published a report called Beyond Transport Infrastructure (pdf - 1mb), which looks at the long term effects of three bypasses - these being the M65 Blackburn Southern Bypass, the Polegate bypass, and the Newbury bypass. In each case, the traffic growth on the bypass was in excess of that which had been predicted. The reduction in traffic had not been as great as had been forecast in the towns affected and there had been an upward trend since the completion of the respective bypasses.

It is highly likely that the same trends would occur in Stockport - particularly with its proximity to the motorway network and Manchester Airport further complicating the issues. What are we going to do 10 years after the bypass is completed, faced with another congestion problem? Build another bypass or upgrade the bypass to a motorway. So the problem continues...

Ignoring the problem of congestion on local roads is simply not an option. The solutions should be sustainable and not generate more problems than they solve. It is the long term effect of policies which determine whether they can be judged a success or failure.

Green belt legislation has served this country well in protecting the countryside. Road building is not proving successful in reducing traffic volumes or congestion.

There is a limit to what the politicians can achieve. We can all play our part in helping to overcome the environmental problems we are currently facing.

Changing attitudes is as important as passing legislation. It is harder to achieve, but the results are more durable

Based on an article by Stephen Wagstaffe, August 2006 (with thanks)