The new Tory leader of Wolverhampton City Council is being called on by members of his own party to reverse his policy to scrap the controversial Stafford Road red route.
Councillor Neville Patten has vowed to remove the £1.7 million red route on the A449 road.
But Conservatives in Dudley and Walsall – including the chairman of Black Country passenger transport authority Centro – are to ask the former bus driver to perform a U-turn on the move.
Wolverhampton’s red route, which is currently under review, is supported by all 27 councillors on the passenger transport authority regardless of their political colours.
Centro sees the road, which has double red lines painted on it and special parking restrictions imposed, as vital to the success of the multi-million pound i54 business park being built near Fordhouses.
Members are concerned that if it is scrapped it will lead to major bottlenecks and traffic jams along the road and will hamper buses.
Walsall’s Councillor Gary Clarke, chairman of Centro, and Dudley’s Councillor Angus Adams, both Conservative stalwarts, have promised to speak to Councillor Patten about his plans to rip out the red route.
Councillor Clarke said: “Even though we are both Conservatives this is not a political issue. As far as we are concerned our members support the red route and that is what we want to say to Councillor Patten.”
Blakenhall councillor Judith Rowley, who sits on Centro’s panel for Labour, urged the Tories: “Please knock some sense into the new incumbent’s head.”
Conservative leader Councillor Neville Patten, who is set to be invested as leader of the council tomorrow, described the red route as “unnecessary”.
He said today: “It has not made a scrap of difference since it was introduced. There are already measures underway to help cope with the i54 development.
“If the councillors want to come and speak to me I can tell them exactly why so many people are unhappy with the red route.”
6 Comments
Simple answer to Walsall and Dudley: “Mind your own business”.
Sure they would like Wton to be crippled by a ludicrous system that disrupts trade and undermines their principle competitor’s economy.
Why is the i54 development so dependent on the A449 red route. If it is going to generate so much additional traffic why was it not built on derelict land closer to public transport links? Building this development on the edge of town next to countyside guaranteed that traffic volumes would massively increase!
The Red route on the A449 Stafford Road, is working well, so leave it as it is now, and keep the traffic on the road free flowing.
Don’t listen to the few load shouting shopkeepers!
The question I would ask is why we need the i54 development in the first place. Especially when there are so many empty business units around already.
silly childish mind games - the tories trying to get their own back with Labour on something that is needed
There was never any need for the entire road to be a red route. Yes it is nice that certain hotspots have been cleared, but this red route is a nightmare to live with along the entire Stafford Road.
A bit of common sense and the hotspots would have been tackled and a lot of tax payers money saved.