Критика плана обхода Херефордшира: политическая спекуляция вместо транспортной стратегии

TALKING POINT Councillor Liz Harvey, Independents 4 Herefordshire Herefordshire Council's bypass plan is a test of political judgment as much as transport policy. No one doubts that Hereford has a congestion problem. No one doubts that resilience matters, or that a second river crossing would help. But those truths do not make the proposed road scheme the right answer, still less one whose first phase is financed through local borrowing while major questions remain over value for money, land assembly and its fit with wider ambitions. This is exactly the moment when politicians should do the right thing rather than the merely popular thing. The cancelled 10 September Cabinet meeting, called to approve construction of phase one of the bypass, hints at an ongoing tussle with hidden inconvenient truths. Especially after publication of what purported to be a full business case back in July. Reporting earlier this summer confirmed critical land acquisitions had failed, and compulsory purchase powers now being threatened. What are your thoughts? You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here. Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence. That should prompt an obvious question: if the case is not yet ready, why the rush to commit now? The answer appears to lie less in sound decision-making than in frantic political gaming. The desire to get spades in the ground before the local elections in May 2027 risks turning a major infrastructure decision into a cynical electoral calculation. That is not a good enough reason to press ahead with a project of this scale and uncertainty. If more work is needed to demonstrate value for money, if the land is not yet secured, and if design issues remain unresolved, then pushing ahead would not be prudent or wise. It would be political grandstanding dressed up as momentum. There is a bigger strategic problem too. Even if phase one could be delivered, Herefordshire would be committing itself to a much larger road-building vision needing well over £300 million from a government with no intention of making such an investment. That is a huge wager on a model of transport and development that already looks outdated in an age of climate change, nature loss, volatile fuel costs and the urgent need for sustainable transport. Politicians are elected to use sound judgment, not just endorse whatever sounds popular. If this scheme cannot yet meet the tests of affordability, readiness and long-term credibility, councillors should say so – Herefordshire deserves better.